Happily Ever After
by CSIcorrespondent
Summary: The Dream World gives Sara an interesting ride. Chapter 18 now up!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story that are associated with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or any of the fairytales listed.

Spoilers: None really, bits and pieces of seasons.

A/N: Well, after a long hibernation, my muse has stepped out of its cave with a roar….sort of. I hope I can get this one going, unlike my lame attempt earlier….anyways without further ado! Oh and please review! Hey that rhymes! Shutting up now… g 

Sara Sidle wasn't a people person. She was a damn good CSI, but after awhile, she needed to get away from everything. It had been her night off, and she had anxiously prepared herself a nice, hot bubble bath to ease away the stress of the past few shifts. Walking into the bathroom, she patted herself on the back for deciding to get the apartment with the Jacuzzi. A couple extra hundred dollars, but all worth it, especially after coming home from grueling double shifts.

Walking over to her CD collection, she popped in an album she had seen Grissom listening to at his desk, and the sounds of sweet classical music filtered through the speakers. Slipping her clothes off, she eased into the steaming water and gave a long sigh.

That's when she heard it. The damn ringing of her cell phone. Oh lord, she thought, I'm getting called in. Groaning, she lifted her wet feet out of the tub and grabbed a towel and ran for the phone. Looking at the caller display, she was surprised to see Catherine's number displayed.

"Sidle," she answered systematically.

"Oh thank god I caught you in time!" the blonde shrieked on the other line. "You weren't sleeping were you?"

"No, I was just getting ready for some relaxing," Sara replied. "Nothing important. What can I do for you Catherine?"

"You get right to the point, don't you?" Catherine chuckled. "Listen, I know it's your night off and everything, but we have a problem. Apparently, Nick forgot his cousin was coming down, and-"

"And why couldn't Nick have called?" Sara interrupted grumpily.

"Hey chill! He had to go out on a case and I haven't been able to get a hold of him. His cousin showed up at the Lab with his wife and kid. Nick was supposed to look after the little girl, but I guess it must have slipped his mind. Anyways," Catherine sighed. "The cousin and his wife have tickets to Celine Dion and the show starts in an hour. I told them to leave the little girl here, but a double homicide just came in, and-"

Sara grimaced on the other line. "No way Cath. I know what you're getting at, but it's my night off! I need some time to refuel."

"Look Sara, Carly cannot stay here all by herself. Doc Robbins volunteered to watch her, but I wasn't too keen on letting her go into the morgue at that age," she pleaded. "Please Sara, it's only for a couple of hours. How bad could it be?"

Sara sat on her bed and groaned. "Fine Catherine. But you guys owe me big time! How am I supposed to look after a little kid?"

Catherine clucked her tongue. "She's five Sara. It's a good age. Besides, it's her bedtime soon, so she'll be out like a light! I promise!"

"Fine. I'll be there in a half hour. And Catherine?"

"Yeah Sara?"

"Make sure Nick isn't around when I get there, or heads will roll," she growled.

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Sara quickly changed into a sweater and some navy khakis. Grabbing her keys, she headed out the door to her apartment and walked down to her car.

It took her about twenty minutes to drive to the lab, since traffic was pretty thick. Parking, she walked briskly to the door of the Lab and stepped inside. She was immediately hit with a blast of cold air, a change from the hot and humid weather waiting outside. Strolling through the busy corridors, she paused as she went past Grissom's office. He was sitting, reading over a case file. At the sound of footsteps, he looked up and caught her gaze and smiled slightly.

"Sara, I thought it was your night off," he asked questioningly. His eyes rooted her feet to their place. She gave him a half-grin.

"It was, but apparently Nick can't keep his schedule straight," she replied.

Grissom smiled. "Ah, so I see Catherine got a hold of someone. Sorry to bother you on your night off."

Sara raised an eyebrow at his cheery mood.. "It's not like I'm not used to it," she said.

"Touchè ," he said, his stare piercing her inner emotions. So much had happened over the last week, and that comment about sex and romance she had made earlier seemed to have spooked him at the time. Did he still feel it? Sara wondered.

"There you are!" Catherine came around the corner, interrupting the moment. Grissom looked down, like a guilty child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Sara turned towards the blonde. "How did you know I was here?" she asked.

Catherine shrugged. "I asked Judy to page me when you arrived. Apparently you beat me to her."

Sara gave her a confused look, which Catherine shook off. "Sara, I'd like you to meet Carly Stokes."

Sara followed Catherine's finger to a lump that she had failed to notice that was sitting in the corner of Grissom's office. The lump had golden, curly hair that ran down the pearly blue eyes and small button nose. Carly Stokes stared at Sara shyly.

Sara looked at Grissom, who seemed to have taken an interest in his case file again.

Catherine rolled her eyes at both of them. "Gil offered to let her sit in his office only if she was quiet, and you've been very good Carly," she said, tickling the little girl under her chin. Carly squealed with laughter and stood up.

"Thanks Catawin," she giggled. "Mistaw Gwissom said that if I sat here quiet that Sawa wouldn't see me. I foowled yew Sawa!"

Sara's heart melted instantly. What a cute little girl, she thought. Her uterus was practically aching.

She knelt down to the little girl's height and smiled. "Well, you sure did fool me Carly. Grissom was right. I didn't even notice you!"

Carly giggled again and went over to Grissom and poked his arm. Grissom looked up and smiled slightly at the little girl. "Is it time for me to go Mistaw Gwissom?" she asked innocently.

Grissom nodded. "I think so Carly Bug. Are you going to be good for Sara? She doesn't know much about taking care of little girls." He looked up at Sara and winked. Sara just glared at him.

"I pwomise! I'll be weally good!" Carly said, nodding her head emphatically.

"Ok Carly Bug. I hope you come back and see me when you come to visit Cousin Nicky," Grissom said, holding out his hand. Carly put her small hand in his and they sealed the deal with a hand shake.

Sara was quietly impressed at how fatherly Grissom was acting.

Tired of being in the background, Catherine stepped over to Carly and took her hand. "Come on, Carly, let's go get your stuff," she said. She looked back at Sara. "Can you wait here for us? I put her stuff under Hodges' desk."

Sara nodded.

Catherine looked down at Carly, who was making funny faces at Grissom. She gave him a funny look and shrugged. "Ok Carly, come one."

The little girl waved at Grissom and followed Catherine down the hallway.

Grissom looked at Sara, who was smirking widely at his behavior, and shook his head.

"Wow, I didn't know you had a motherly side to you Grissom," she said jokingly.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," he replied softly. She looked up and met his gaze again. He gathered up his courage. "I want to get to know you better Sara. I want you to know me. We deserve to at least try."

Sara stood, stunned slightly. "I-ah-," she stumbled.

Grissom rose and walked over to shut the door. Walking back over to her, he took her hand and led her over to his desk and nudged her to sit on the end of it.

"I think we deserve a chance at romance, Sara. I've hurt you so much I don't know how else to fix this."

She smiled shyly at him. She intertwined their fingers and gazed into his eyes. "Well, I'd say it was about damn time, Grissom. I've been waiting for romance for years."

He laughed and bent down to kiss her cheek. "Will you trust me, Sara?" he whispered into her ear.

Nodding, she moved her head back to look into his eyes once more. "I'll try to Grissom. It's hard to erase all these years of ignorance."

"If you're still willing to try Sara, I will make sure I never hurt you again," he said promisingly.

They broke apart as the heard the voices of Carly and Catherine coming down the hall.

Reaching for her hand once more, he gently kissed her knuckles. "Have dinner with me Sara. I want to see what happens."

Sara squeezed his hand, and released it. "In due time Grissom. Right now, I have a little girl who needs to go home with me. Call me when you get off. We'll talk."

With that, she turned and walked out of his office.

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After collecting Carly's belongings from Catherine, Sara led the little girl to her vehicle and placed her in the back seat, buckling her seatbelt. Carly hummed along with the radio, and Sara found herself looking forward to the next few hours.

Reaching her apartment, she parked and got out, walking around to undo the little girl. Carly sat still as Sara unbuckled her seatbelt, and took Sara's hand and slid out of the vehicle.

"Sawa, I can cawwy my backpack. I'm a big giwl," Carly said politely.

Sara handed her the knapsack and took her hand and led her up the stairs to her apartment. Once inside, Carly put her knapsack on the floor and sat on Sara's small couch.

The silence was too much for Sara. She walked over to the little girl and sat down beside her. "What do you want to do Carly? What time do you usually go to bed?"

Carly smiled at Sara. " Mommy says I hafta go to bed by nine o'clock. She always reads me some pwincess stowies before I go to sweep." Getting up, the little girl ran over to her knapsack and dragged it across the floor to Sara's feet. Opening it, she reached in and pulled out a pair of pajamas and a large special edition storybook and handed the items to Sara. Sara smiled at the well-behaved manner of the little girl. "Can you put on your pajamas by yourself Carly?" she asked.

Carly nodded eagerly. Sara smiled. "Ok, well you go into the bathroom and put them on. How about after you're all ready, you can come and we'll go lay in my bed and I'll read you some stories until you get tired, ok?"

Carly smiled again. "Ok Sawa! I'll go wight now."

Gathering the girl's belongings, Sara showed her the bathroom and left her to get dressed. Sara walked into her bedroom, and sat down, with the large storybook laying on her lap. This thing must weigh a ton, Sara thought.

A minute later, Carly came wandering around the corner and jumped onto Sara's bed. Crawling up to sit by Sara, Carly laid her head on one of the pillows.

"Ok Carly, do you have a couple of favorite stories you want me to read?" Sara asked.

Carly opened the large book and pointed to a page with a beautiful girl at the top of a tower, her long hair spilling down the side. The title read "Rapunzel" and Sara smiled at the choice.

As she began reading, she saw the little girl's eyes drooping, and finally shut. Her breathing eased and Carly was soon in a peaceful sleep. Sara smiled, and continued reading to herself. Soon, she felt her own eyes failing her, and she gave herself over to the deep sleep that was calling her. It was there that her dreams became alive…..

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

A/N: Thanks to those that have reviewed! If you're not familiar with the story below, I suggest you do some research. Hope I can keep your attention…

She hit a rock with a hard thump.

Sara gasped and opened her eyes. Amazingly enough, she didn't feel the pain that should have been coursing through her back. She looked down and saw that it was in fact not a rock, but a mattress. A pile of mattresses to be exact, and something was impaling her torso.

Shifting to the side, Sara sat up and dug her finger into the lump that was interfering with her comfort. It seemed to be some sort of round, hard object, not very big, about the size of a pebble. What the hell? She thought.

The realization dawned on her that she was in fact not in her own bed. Looking around, she saw that the walls of the room were decorated with wildflowers and soft tones of pink and blue. Someone had replaced her sweater and khakis with a beautiful aqua marine dress, bordered with strands of silver and gold. It was like something she had seen in a book before, but she couldn't quite place it.

Looking over the edge, she saw that there was around twenty small mattresses, and what looked like a bunch of feather blankets that prevented her from reaching the ground. Moving her legs to the edge of the mattress, Sara held onto the side of the mattress and squeezed her feet into the feather blankets. After gaining her footing, she continued down until she reached the bottom. Once on solid ground, Sara gazed around the room. There was a metal bucket filled with water and a scrub brush was sitting beside it. Dipping her hands into the water, she was surprised to find it quite warm. Beside the bucket was a small mirror, barely the size of a CD. Looking at her appearance, she was horrified to see that dirt was caked all over her face and her hair was in a terrible state. She dipped her hands into the water and slowly rubbed all of the dirt off of her face. Taking the scrub brush, she dipped it into the water as well and ran it through her hair like a comb, fighting with the knots that had formed in her hair. Satisfied, she put down the brush and looked in the tiny mirror again. Mmm, much better, she thought. Now time to figure out where I am.

Sara walked over to the large doorway and pulled open the Venetian doors. Stepping out, she gasped at the sight that greeted her.

Large stone walls were adorned with beautiful hanging vines, and various types of pottery was set on pedestals around the hall. The ceiling sported a gigantic crystal chandelier, which seemed to have candles instead of ordinary light bulbs. Each one was lit and glowing, illuminating the artwork that had been placed on the wall. In the middle of the hall, a group of people were sitting at a lavish table, where a gourmet meal was laid out.

"My darling," a woman shouted. Sara looked towards the voice and was surprised to see Catherine running towards her. The blonde seemed to have been transformed into a beautiful queen, with a large crown on the top of her cascading curls. She was dressed in a similar style dress that Sara had on, but hers was deep purple and blue, and she wore tiny slippers on her feet.

"How was your sleep?" Catherine asked snidely. What had gotten into her? Sara thought.

"Umm….I didn't sleep much, but when I woke up there was some sort of hard lump in one of the mattresses," Sara replied, still confused.

Catherine gasped and screamed like a maniac. Sara backed up.

"How could such a peasant have delicate skin?" Catherine shrieked. "You claim to be a princess and it must be true, for I put a pea in your bed at the bottom and you felt it all the way through!"

Sara's head was spinning. Princess? Her? She had to be dreaming.

Wait a minute, she thought. A pea? She suddenly recognized where she had seen the bedroom from. It was from Carly's storybook, the story about "The Princess and the Pea". Of course! I must be dreaming. There's no way this is reality, she concluded.

The sounds of trumpets made her look up. A small, whiny voice protruded from the shadows. "Your Highness, Prince Greg!"

Sara almost doubled over with laughter. Greg was dressed in plain attire in comparison to Catherine and herself. His garments were made from blue and purple as well, and he had a sword at his right hip.

Walking up to Sara, Greg looked at his mother. "Mother, you see, she is a princess, the one for me! Such delicate skin, a princess indeed, or she would nave not felt that pea!"

Catherine smiled at Greg and grabbed Sara's arm. "I give her to you then my son. Let's get this wedding over with and done!"

Sara panicked. Marry Greg? she thought. Yeah right.

Trying to twist out of Catherine's grip, Sara pleaded. "You've got the wrong girl! I can't marry Greg! I don't love him!"

Catherine laughed again. "What my sweet child, why are you afraid? Love is not important, it's merely a game. You will wed my son, the decision is made, so don't try to run."

Sara yelled "Never!" and gave Catherine a good right hook, causing the blonde to promptly release her arm and fall back, her nose squirting blood. Taking the chance, Sara ran down the hall to the massive front doors and tried to get out. It was no use. They were shut tight.

"Why are you running?" a voice inquired, and she swung around to face two blue eyes. Grissom was standing in front of her. He was dressed in purple and blue as well, and a giant crown adorned his head.

Oh lord, Sara thought. The king.

Grissom stood, looking confused as always. "You came to the door last night, looking for a place to stay. Was it not your wish to marry my son?"

Sara shook her head vigorously. "I don't even remember how I got here," she pleaded.

Grissom stared back at her. "You are young. If this is what you decide, so be it." He pulled a hidden lever and the doors started to swing open.

Sara looked at him with amazement. He nodded his head.

Stepping out, she looked back and saw Catherine and Greg tripping over themselves to get to her. She looked out into the scenery and then back at Grissom.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

Grissom smiled, but it turned to a frown. "Be careful," he warned. "There are many other worlds out there, other dangers. Do not trust others easily."

Leaning forward, she gently brushed his cheek with her lips. "I will be," she said gently, and stepped through the doorway. Looking back, she smiled and walked forward.

Her vision started to blur once again and she was engulfed in darkness….

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

A/N: A big thanks to all that have reviewed so far. My brain is running, so I thought I'd throw you all another chapter. You lucky people you….I guess it helps that I listen to the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack while I write….please review!

A howl woke Sara this time.

Her nose was greeted with the smell of pine, and she opened her eyes once more to find herself in another strange location, which was not her own room. She was in the middle of a forest of tall, evergreen trees. Thankfully, there was still daylight, and Sara mentally rejoiced at this. She wouldn't have liked it too much if she were stuck in the dark.

Standing up, she brushed the leaves and dirt off of her clothing, which at the moment consisted of some kind of gray tunic-like shirt and a thin brown skirt. At least I'll be able to make a better escape if I need to this time, Sara thought. The dress she had worn earlier had been beautiful, but honestly not her style.

Walking along, she soon met up with a winding gravel road. Walking along, Sara saw some kind of stall off to the right of the road. It read "Houze Materialz". House Materials? she thought. That's odd.

Asleep behind the stall was what looked to be a fat, pot-bellied pig. A worn out top hat adorned his fat little head and he was dressed in rags. Snoring loudly, he twitched in his sleep, which caused him to roll off of the chair he was sitting on. Giving a grunt, he stood up on his hind legs and scratched his belly, but froze when he saw Sara. His eyed widened.

"Hey look human, I just mindin' my own business and I ain't looking' for no trouble," he said, his voice quivering.

Sara smiled at his awkwardness. "Well, you'll be happy to know, uh Pig, that I don't eat meat. I'm a vegetarian."

The pig gave her a weird look. "Whatcha mean ya don't eat meat? All humans eat meat!"

"Actually, it was a pig that drove me away from meat," she replied, chuckling.

The pig was very confused by now. He snorted again. "Well if ya ain't here tah eat me then whaddaya want with me?"

"I was hoping you could tell me where I was," Sara replied hopefully.

The pig grunted. "You ain't nowhere's that important. All I know is that this here is a big farmin' area, and I'm here tah sell materials to those that want 'em. Cheaper to build yer own. In fact, I just sold 'bout twenty cents wortha straw, wood and bricks to a buncha youngins," the pig said. "Said sumthin' bout inheritin' land from their Mama."

The pig was interrupted by the sound of another howl, similar to the one Sara had heard earlier. He broke into a sweat.

"Well, it was mighty fine to meet ya, but I gotta scatter…uh….toodleloo!" And with that, he ran off, leaving his stall behind.

What scared him so bad? Sara wondered. Wait a minute…..a howl….a wolf's howl….Of course! Sara shrieked out loud, happy with herself. She had figured out the new story land she had entered. The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf.

Feeling anxious, Sara started walking briskly down the gravel road, and she was soon greeted with a large area of farmland. There seemed to be some commotion up ahead, she noticed. Walking over, she glanced around and noticed a figure standing in the corner of a straw house that was missing a door. It was Nick!

"Nick!" she yelled excitedly. He glanced over at her cautiously.

"How'd you know my name, pretty lady?" he asked, eyeing her from the corner.

Sara rolled her eyes. Of course he wouldn't know her.

"I'm your cousin Sara, from the land far away. I was sent to see how you were doing after hearing about your mother," she replied.

Nick's face fell slightly, and tears came to his eyes. "Poor Mama, so young! I woulda' never thought they would take her this early."

Sara walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Nick. She was a good woman."

Wait a minute….. "Nick, who took her away?"

"Well the big trucks you know. It was that time of the year again. She was gettin' pretty chunky. I'll always remember her like my own mother," he said softly. "She took us kids in and raised her like her own."

Sara frowned, still confused. "Wait, are you telling me you were adopted Nick? By a pig?"

Nick scowled at her. "Don't call her that. I don't use those terms. We're all part of the same circle of life…" he rambled.

Sara rolled her eyes again. "Well, I should get going Nick. Oh, and you should get that door fixed on soon." Sara smiled to herself. "You never know what could come around the corner."

Nick just looked at her weird.

"My other sister and older brother are down the road. Have you met them before?" he asked.

Sara grinned. "Oh, I think I might have." Waving goodbye, she continued down the road. A short ways away, she came up to a small hut, made out of planks of birch bark and oak planks. It was also missing it's door.

She looked around. "Anybody there?" she said.

"Yeah what do you want this time-" A blonde stepped out of the doorway. Damn. Sofia.

"Can I help you?" she asked cautiously, in a very bad British accent. Where the hell did that come from? Sara wondered.

"Well, I'm your Cousin Sara, and I thought I'd come and visit you after I heard about what happened to Mama."

Sofia frowned. "I've never bloody well heard of a Sara. Mama never talked about her family. Mostly laid around on the couch while I cleaned up the house, if you could call it that. Stupid shack," she grumbled. "I've always been to good to be cleaning up her messes. She raised me, but it doesn't mean I have to like her. The only good thin about staying was that I could look at the oldest one any time I bloody well wanted too."

OK, Sara thought. Time to cut this short.

"Well Sofia, I hope you have a good life. You certainly deserve better than to clean up after someone else."

Sofia frowned. "How do you know my name, girl?"

Sara shrugged. "Luck I guess. Oh and Sofia," Sara said, smiling. "Make sure you get that door attached soon." Or you'll be picking your own mess off of the floor, she finished.

Walking out, Sara laughed inwardly. Now, to find the last house, and she'd maybe even stay awhile, she thought. At least I'll be safe.

It took her longer than expected to reach the last house. It was, of course, brick. Everything was finished, and smoke was rising out of the chimney.

Walking up the steps, she knocked on the door. A moment later, she heard some rustling and the door swung open and she was once again greeted by blue eyes. Grissom again.

"Can I help you ma'am?" he asked politely. Of course, she thought. Leave it to Grissom to be the one secluded from everyone else.

"Ummm, I'm a relative of yours. My name is Sara, and I came to see you and your other siblings after I heard about your mother. I'm very sorry," she said in a low voice.

It seemed that this Grissom had de-aged a couple of years, and was missing his beard, like when she had first come to Vegas, she thought.

"Oh, well would you like to come in Sara?" he asked nervously.

She smiled. Oh it was good to hear him say that.

Stepping in, she was greeted with a warm current, and she saw that a fire was burning under a large black cooking pot full of water.

Sitting down, she smiled at him nervously. What to say….

He sat across from her and smiled at her. You could have cut the tension with a butter knife.

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Nick had just finished putting the door on his straw home when he heard a knock at the door. He looked through his window, and almost peed his pants. Standing on the other side of the door was the evil wolf man, Ecklie.

"Let me in! Let me in!" Ecklie shrieked, laughing like a maniac.

"Not by the hair on my chiny chin chin!" Nick yelled back.

"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!" With that, Ecklie took a big breath and let her rip. The straw walls around Nick tumbled down, and he was left standing there, drenched in slobber.

"No don't eat meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" he cried, but it was too late. Ecklie gobbled him up.

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Sara heard the scream across the farmland. Nick was gone, she knew. Grissom stood u to go look out the door, but she grabbed his hand and shook her head.

"I suggest you add some more wood to that fire and get it boiling," she said.

Grissom gave her a look, but did as she told him.

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Sofia jumped off of her wooden bed and looked out her window. She gasped and got out her wooden knife.

Ecklie burped and came up to her door. "Let me in! Let me in!" he yelled.

Sofia growled and yelled back "Not by the hair on my chiny chin chin!"

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!" he shrieked again.

Taking a long breath he blew Sofia's house down, as promised. She stood there in shock, covered in splinters and saliva. Ecklie flashed his pearly whites and opened his mouth.

"NoooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOO!" she screamed, but it was too late. He swallowed her whole. Coughing a bit, he remarked, "That one's gonna give me a bit of indigestion."

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Sara heard Sofia's terrifying shriek, and she knew the time was about to come. She looked at Grissom and smiled at him. "I hope you realize I'm saving your life," she said.

Grissom, still confused, just cleared his throat. "You think I wouldn't know what to do?"

Sara's mouth went dry, but she stayed quiet.

"The water's boiling," Grissom said, walking over to her.

"Now, we wait."

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The evil wolf man Ecklie hobbled up to the brick house. He had seen a female human walking down the gravel road near his hiding place, and since he hadn't come upon her yet, she had to be in here.

Even though his belly was swollen, Ecklie was still craving human nourishment.

He knocked on the door.

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Inside, Sara trembled slightly and looked through the peephole. Ecklie was standing there, his belly huge, and saliva was dripping from his teeth.

"Let me in! LET ME IN!" he howled.

"Not by the hair on our chiny chin chins!" Sara yelled back, cursing her trembling hands. She felt another hand grab hers and squeeze. Grissom, of course.

Wow, she thought, he loves to do that.

Ecklie screamed again. "Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!" Taking a gigantic breath, he blew with all his might, but the house didn't even groan. Damn, he thought.

He took another big breath and blew with all his might. Still nothing.

Ok, Ecklie thought, I will get in another way. Looking up, he spotted the chimney.

Looking over to the large pot, she saw that it was boiling rapidly, spitting on the fire below. She heard the scratching of Ecklie's nails while he tried to climb up the side of the house. The scratching stopped.

Sara looked at Grissom. The fun was about to begin.

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Reaching the top of the house, Ecklie raced over to the chimney and jumped in. He stayed in place. Stupid fat belly, he thought.

Sucking it in, he slid down the chimney.

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Sara saw his ugly feet a moment later. He had made it down the chimney.

She smiled. "You know Ecklie, I've always wanted to get you back," she said.

At that moment, he landed in the hot boiling pot of water, let out a ear-breaking scream, and shot back up the chimney, and all the way back to the woods.

Sara laughed at his idiocy. They had triumphed.

Looking back at Grissom, she saw that he was sitting on a chair, quite stunned.

"How did you know?" he asked quietly.

"I just did, Grissom."

He got up from the chair and looked at her. "You saved my life."

Sara blushed. "Well, I'm sure you would have figured it out without me. Besides, just wanted to return the favor." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Grissom just stood there, still confused.

Sara just shook her head. "All in due time, Grissom."

With that, she walked out of the door, leaving him standing there.

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Walking out of the brick house, Sara breathed deeply the sweet smell of the forest. She walked over to the path and continued down the road.

The next thing she knew, she had plunged into darkness…

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See first Chapter.

A/N: Wow! I'm really overwhelmed with all of these reviews! This one gave me a bit of trouble, since the story is so long and twisted, so I've mended the details. Big thanks to everyone that's supported me, especially Kayla….oh and Angela, I've already taken care of it;)

Sara's eyes popped open. She gasped with cold, and found it difficult to catch her breath. Shivering, she moved to sit up. Her muscles groaned in protest from laying on the stone floor.

A stone floor. Sara looked around. She was in a small room, a large window opening out to a scenery of a thick blanket of trees.

Standing up, Sara was surprised by some kind of mass smacking against her back. Going to turn around, she slipped on something and fell on her face.

Moaning, she pushed off of the stone floor and rubbed her forehead. She could still feel the unusual weight dragging her head back. Reaching her hand around, she could feel the thick, luscious texture of her hair. She ran her hand down. Her hair had grown a bit, she noticed. Continuing her hand down her back, she could feel her hair flowing deeper and deeper. She glanced at the floor and recognized what she had tripped on.

Sara had tripped on her own hair. How unbelievable was that? she thought chuckling. A rush went through her as she realized the new story land she had entered. Rapunzel. But wait a minute….

Sara rushed to her feet and was careful not to trip on her own hair again. Reaching the window, she looked out, and almost fainted from nausea.

She was in a tall tower, meters from the ground. She was alone in a tall tower…..She was Rapunzel. Oh damn.

Going over to a large queen-sized bed, she sat down gently, careful of her new hair. She was mentally freaking out, and it didn't help that it was so cold in the room.

Thinking back to her childhood, Sara remembered a little bit about Rapunzel. Something about a witch banishing her to the tower as a punishment, because Rapunzel's mother had stolen some kind of vegetable. That was about all that she could remember, but that couldn't be the end. There were many different versions of fairytales, and Sara had a bad feeling about this one. Laying back on the soft comforter that adorned the bed, she wrapped strands of silky hair around her fingers. How long would it be until someone would come?

Just as her eyes were easing shut, she heard someone yelling. Getting up, Sara walked over to the window.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!" a woman called. Sara recognized that voice. It was Sofia once more. Damn yet again.

Sighing, Sara scooped up her hair and tossed it out the window. Might as well get it over and done with, she thought.

A sudden weight tugged at her head and dragged her backwards. What was Sofia eating, watermelons?

Grabbing a hold of the windowsill, Sara grimaced and grit her teeth. Finally, she saw the top of the blonde's head.

"Give me your hand, idiot," Sofia nagged. Sara growled, but grabbed Sofia's protesting hand.

Lugging her up, Sara laughed at her appearance. Sofia was wearing a large pointed hat custom of a witch, and a gray dress with pink frills attached to the cuffs of the sleeves.

Sofia pouted, and scowled at Sara. "I thought I asked you to get this pigpen cleaned up! It's disgraceful."

Sara shot her a look. "It's not like I get a lot of visitors," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Sofia asked. Sara shook her head, ignoring her.

"You know, you should respect me. I raised you from the time you were a child. All I ask is a little decency once in awhile."

"How about I'll respect you when you let me out of this prison," Sara sneered. She was fed up with all of this bullshit. The fun and games had ended.

Sofia huffed and threw a basket of food onto the floor. Fruits and vegetables spilled out of the basket and rolled around on the floor. "I can see you don't have any need for me at the moment. I'll leave, and maybe you'll think about what you've been saying," she scolded. Grabbing Sara by the ear, Sofia tugged her over to the window and threw her hair down. Sara swung at Sofia, but the blonde simply grabbed onto the silky strands and flung herself out of the window.

Sara grasped wildly for something to grab, but there was nothing. Her head throbbed with pain, and her scalp protested the heavy weight. Finally, after an agonizing few minutes the tension became slack, and Sara began to wind her hair back up to the tower.

"Don't bother coming back!" she screamed at Sofia, who looked up at her, but kept walking and soon disappeared into the trees. Sara cursed under her breath. Why was she still stuck in this hellhole?

Leaning out of the window, she looked down the side of the tower and saw there was nothing to help her get down to the bottom. She was trapped.

She walked over to the bed, stepped on an apple, and flopped back on the pillows. She closed her eyes and groaned at her throbbing headache.

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A couple of hours later, Sara sat at the window again, her nerves calmed considerably. The sun was setting, casting an orange hue over the terrain. It was beautiful.

Something caught her attention again. A voice from below. She looked down and groaned. Sofia again?

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair," the voice called. It was male, and she recognized it again. Grissom.

Her heart soared. She was surprised that he had once again come to her rescue. That must be part of the trend, she thought. He was the male hero in the stories. Thank God, she thought happily.

Standing at the window, she tossed her hair over the age and waited for the pull. She almost screamed at the weight. She had a grown man climbing up the tower, using her hair. Sofia had certainly pushed the limit, and she was a lot smaller than Grissom.

Finally, she saw the top of his head and grabbed his hand. Good thing he's a fast climber, she thought.

Heaving him up, she tripped, and they fell to the floor a tangle of arms and legs. Sara felt like crying. What a day.

Immediately, Grissom rolled off of her, careful not to hurt her. His look of concern made her spirits lift. She gave him a once over. He was younger, and his hair hadn't started to gray yet. She could still recognize his boyishly-handsome face, and Sara looked into his blue eyes.

She smiled weakly. "I'm glad you came."

Grissom put his hands on her face, cupping her cheeks. "I couldn't leave you up here alone," he said seriously.

Sara closed her eyes and sighed. She was getting over her distress pretty fast. At least she knew she had something to look forward to in each story land.

Reaching up, she pulled his hands down, and wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her head in his chest. The good thing about this place, she thought, is that I can touch him and he won't freak. She almost cried when he hugged her back.

Sara pulled back. It was too much, and it wasn't real. It was a dream, and she sighed at the thought.

She remembered the talk they had in his office, and she found herself getting anxious over waking up. She wanted to go back to reality.

Walking over to the bed, she turned away from him and looked in a small mirror that was hanging on the opposing wall. She could see him walk up behind her, and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's figure out a way to get you out of here, my love," he said quietly.

Sara turned around to face him. She sat on the bed and pulled him down with her. What could they do?

An idea flashed through her brain, and she sprang up. Grabbing the bed sheets, she started to tie them together. After a few moments, she stopped, realizing there was no way a couple of sheets could reach the ground. They were too high up.

Something glimmered in the moonlight. Walking over, Sara shivered as a brisk night wind blew through the tower. She would freeze if she didn't get out. There had to be a way, she pondered. Just think back, damnit! How did she get out in the story?

Walking over to the object, she saw that it was a pair of scissors. She hadn't seen them before.

She reviewed the story elements in her mind, and an image from Carly's book flashed through. Of course, she thought, my hair.

Turning towards Grissom, she gave him the scissors and turned around. "Cut it off," she said. "It's the only way."

"I can't Rapunzel! You're beautiful hair!" he exclaimed.

She turned towards him and smiled. "It'll be ok, I promise. Just do it; it's the only way."

Grissom looked at her sadly, and ran his fingers through the soft strands. Closing his eyes, he held the scissors out to her head.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Eyes open!"

Grissom blushed. Opening his eyes, he snipped a large chunk of hair off. It fell softly to the floor. Piece after piece fell to the floor, until she was left with only shoulder-length hair. Her head felt significantly lighter.

Turning around, she knelt and gathered up the strands of hair and walked over to the bed. Slowly, she began to weave them into a braid. A half hour later, she held out a braid of hair about four or five meters long. Tying that to the bed sheets, she scooped up the contraption and flung one end out of the window. It reached almost all the way down. There was about a 6 foot drop after that. Sara knew that was as good as it was going to get.

Taking the end in her hands, she attached it to a few nails that had been haphazardly hammered into the side of the tower's wall when it had been built. It wouldn't hold for long.

She could feel Grissom come up behind her and look over her shoulder.

"I'll go first," he said. "That way I can catch you at the bottom."

Sara nodded. She didn't like the idea of falling.

She gave him a quick hug, and he slowly eased himself over the edge, grabbing the homemade rope. Sara grabbed on to support his weight.

He quickly reached the bottom, and she laughed when he landed on his behind.

"I'm waiting for you," he yelled to her.

She smiled, and climbed onto the windowsill, and eased down, grabbing desperately for the sheets. She was surprised how soft the hair braid was, and was relieved it didn't aggravate the skin on her hands. She hated rope burn.

Reaching the end of the rope, she could feel the sheets ripping. They finally gave out and she began to fall. Grissom was luckily there to catch her.

He helped her to her feet, and checked her over for any injury. She wiggled out of his grasp and smiled at him. Taking his hand, she led him towards the forest. Clutching his hand, Sara leaned against his shoulder. She had escaped again, she thought, rejoicing. Just as they reached the trees, she felt the familiar feeling of dizziness, and once more she plunged into darkness….

TBC

A/N: For those of you that have read the real story of Rapunzel, you'll know how twisted and odd the end is. Let's just say I wasn't about to explore the idea of Sara stuck in the desert and having twins and Grissom getting his eyes poked out…..Anyways, review please!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews guys! I'm trying to give a chapter a day before my phase runs out. This one was really hard and long to write, considering the characters and the Disney movie, and I've modified it a bit. Hope y'all like it and continue to review! Oh, and since I have no beta at the moment, all errors are mine.

She woke to the sound of the birds chirping. Opening her eyes, Sara squinted as sunlight protruded into her eyes.

She was in a bed again, and what looked to be a small room. A sewing kit sat in one corner and an old mirror and table was set up at the other end.

Sliding out of the bed, she inched towards the mirror to look at her appearance. The weight of her once long hair was gone, and she sighed in relief.

Something caught her eye. A flash of fur ran towards her feet, and she leaped back. Staring down, her eyes met those of a small brown field mouse. Another one appeared beside it, then another, then another. What the hell? she thought. Mice?

They didn't seem to be dangerous, and she knelt down and held her hand out for the mice to climb onto. Once they were on safely, she walked over and placed them on the bed. They all sat there staring back at her.

"Can you talk?" she asked. They stared back at her mutely. One of them squeaked. Ok, maybe not.

"I wish you could talk," she said. "Then you could tell me where-"

"Cinderella!" someone screeched. "Where's my morning breakfast?"

Cinderella! Sara felt like she was going to faint. She knew how that story went quite well.

"Where are you!" the voice screeched again.

Walking over to the door, Sara opened it and walked down a narrow hallway. Someone was standing at the end, her hair full of curlers. She was guessing either one of the stepsisters, or the evil stepmother.

"What took you so long?" she sneered at Sara. It was Mandy, the fingerprint analyst. What the hell?

"Where's my breakfast?" Mandy asked impatiently. "I've been waiting for twenty minutes! Get your act together!" She stormed back into her room and slammed the door.

Whoa, Sara thought. Not what I expected.

Across the hall, another door opened, and out stepped another stepsister, staring grumpily at her with sleepy eyes. It was good old Sofia again. Sara felt like ripping the blonde apart after what she had gone through in Rapunzel-world.

"What's all the commotion about? I was sleeping and having the most wonderful dream," Sofia pouted. She glared at Sara. "You might as well bring me my breakfast now. I won't get back to sleep." Walking back into her room, she slammed the door as well.

God, what is with these people, she thought. Oh yeah….

Sara thought back to the movie she had seen a while ago, and remembered how Cinderella had gotten up each morning and prepared everything for the day. Better go find the kitchen, she thought. It's going to be a long day.

Walking further down the hall, she came into a small room, where a kettle was sitting on a gas stove. Cupboards lined the walls, and a set of matches was laying on the counter.

Grabbing the matches, Sara leaned over and lit the gas stove. Walking over to the cupboards, she opened them and searched for something to prepare for the stepsisters. Smiling, she grabbed a box full of what looked to be oatmeal. Crouching down, she looked underneath the stove and came up with a black cast-iron pot. Filling it with kettle water, Sara waited for it to boil. Looking around, she saw a loaf of bread sitting on a cutting board. She took the knife and sliced the bread in thick chunks. Once through, she went through the cupboards again and found some plates, cups and platters. Hearing the kettle squealing and the pot bubbling, she poured the oatmeal into the pot and took some hot water from the kettle and poured them into three of the glasses.

If she remembered correctly, the step-mother was around here as well and was waiting for her breakfast.

Taking some tea leafs out of a metal can, she placed one in each of the cups. She grabbed a wooden spoon from a jar full of utensils and stirred the oatmeal. It looked about right, she decided.

Sara scooped a portion of the oatmeal into each bowl, and sprinkled a little bit of sugar on top of the three bowls. She needed some milk.

Walking out of the tiny kitchen, Sara continued out of the hallway and smiled when she reached a small backdoor. Slipping out, she was greeted with the cool air and she breathed in deeply.

She spotted the barn a few meters off, and walked over to it. Picking up a tin can sitting outside of the door to the barn, she entered, greeted with the smell of manure.

She spotted a cow standing in one of the stalls at the end. Walking over to it, she grimaced. Placing the can underneath its udder, she looked at the cow.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, but there's no other way,' she said sympathetically.

Kneeling in the hay covered ground, she milked the com until the can was full. The cow stood as though undisturbed the entire time.

Patting the cow on the head, she headed back towards the house and went back to the kitchen. Pouring the milk into the oatmeal, she set each of the bowls onto a platter, along with a cup of tea and some bread and a spoon. Balancing two of the platters, she headed back to the stepsisters' room. Setting a platter at each door, she knocked and quickly walked away. Heading back to the kitchen, she grabbed the last platter and walked down the hallway. Soon, she came to an area where the hall widened into the large entranceway and a flight of stairs.

Sara climbed the stairs to the top of the second floor and spotted a lone door. Knocking, she waited.

"You may enter," replied a voice that she hadn't heard in a long time. Opening the door, she walked into a Victorian-style room. Sunlight was shining through a large window, and a woman had her back to Sara. The woman stood to face her. It was Jacqui. Sara gasped silently, surprised. She hadn't spoken with Jacqui for awhile, but she had taken a liking to the woman.

Sara walked over to a table and set the platter down. "I brought you your breakfast," she said quietly.

Jacqui nodded her head. Obviously, she's going to treat me like dirt, Sara thought.

Turning around, Jacqui's voice halted Sara's movements. "Have you finished with the dresses, Cinderella?"

Sara frowned. "I'm sorry, what dresses?" she asked.

Jacqui gave her a look. "Silly girl, the ones for the grand ball tonight. You were asked to have them completed by this afternoon. Have you finished?"

Sara stared for a second, but regained her composure. "Yes, they should be about ready."

"Good. I will come down to your quarters later this afternoon, and I expect them to be ready for me. I want my daughters to look lovely. I'm hoping the prince will dance with Sofia." Jacqui sighed. "Did you get a chance to make a garment for yourself."

Sara nodded. "Yes Stepmother, I have."

Jacqui nodded and turned away from Sara.

That must be my cue to exit, Sara thought, and quietly left the room.

Walking back to her room, she glanced over to the sewing equipment. She saw a group of dresses hanging, ready to be worn. They were beautiful in color, and she went through them one by one until she came to the last one. It was a deep blue, with beautiful white frills bordering the neck and arms. This one has to be mine, she thought.

She glanced out the window and saw some commotion. There was a group of individuals riding their horses passed the farm. One man was leading the group, dressed in the trademark royal purple. Must be the prince.

He must have sensed her stare because he looked towards the window where she was leaning out. He was too far that she couldn't recognize him, but then she remembered something.

Grissom was always the one to come rescue her. He was always in the story lands that she had gone through. It had to be him, she thought smiling.

Watching them ride off into the distance, Sara moaned. There were several hours until the ball that evening and she couldn't wait. She knew the story, and she wanted her fairy godmother to hurry up and get here.

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Later that afternoon, Sara walked back towards the house, remembering that Jacqui was supposed to be coming to get the dresses.

Sara had spent the afternoon peacefully sitting by the creek behind the house, thinking about her circumstances. She had a strategy to make sure that each fairytale be carried out how they were outlined, except if she came into danger.

Walking down to her room, she entered and scowled, seeing Jacqui already sitting on the edge of her bed waiting.

"You didn't attend to your chores, Cinderella," she scolded. "Did you think you could just run off and leave your duties to the rest of us? You should be grateful I even allow you to stay in this house."

Sara inhaled deeply and started counting to ten. "I'm sorry. I needed to do some thinking down by the creek."

Jacqui stood there unbelievingly. She shook her head. "Where are the dresses?" she demanded of Sara.

Sara walked passed Jacqui and carefully unhooked the dresses from where they were hanging. The blue dress stood alone, exposed to Jacqui's sight.

Sara handed her the dresses, expecting her to leave, but Jacqui stood still. Eyeing the blue dress, the evil stepmother walked over to where it was hanging. She took one of the sleeves of the dress and examined it in her hand. "You must have worked hard to make this," she said coldly. Sara gulped. She didn't like where this was going.

Jacqui turned and walked passed Sara. "Make sure you're ready by 6 o'clock. We can't afford to be late." She closed the door and left Sara standing there with butterflies in her stomach.

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6 o'clock came and Sara was dressed and ready, perched delicately on the edge of her bed.

It all happened too fast.

The stepsisters, Sofia and Mandy, came barging in. Sofia grabbed her and threw her on the floor. Sara scrambled to get away, but her dress was restricting her movements. Mandy Held Sara down, smothering her into the cold floor.

"You filthy wretch!" Sofia screamed. "You're trying to take the Prince away from me! How dare you!"

Sara could feel the material of her dress ripping.

Mandy grabbed her and pulled her up, only to push her against a wall. Sara couldn't move.

Sofia grabbed the white frills around Sara's neck and ripped them off. Next, she went for the hem that was holding the waist together. She just kept grabbing and pulling at Sara's lovely dress.

Satisfied with their work, they let Sara fall to the ground in a heap, her dress torn to shreds. Walking out, Mandy looked back and laughed at her. Sofia joined in, and Sara could hear their laughter all the way out of the house.

Jacqui came in and smiled at Sara. "It's a shame you weren't ready. We'll have to leave without you." Smirking, she walked out of the room, leaving Sara in tears.

Sara let her head hang in embarrassment and started to sob. She hated this.

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Sara had lost all track of time. She had simply sat in the corner of her room, feeling sorry for herself. Where the hell was her fairy godmother?

Suddenly, a flash of light went through the room. About damn time, Sara thought.

A soft melody began to play, and there was a ringing of chimes.

"I've come to help you, child," said the voice. Sara smiled.

The light faded away, and Catherine was standing in the middle of the room, looking down at Sara with kind eyes.

She had on a kind of green dress that an elf might wear. Her hair was curled and came down passed her shoulders. Walking over to Sara, Catherine offered her hand.

Taking the offered hand, Sara stood up, wiping her tear-stained cheeks.

"Now, we must get you to the ball," Catherine said kindly. "But this won't due, I'm afraid."

A wand appeared in her hand, and she tapped it at Sara, saying "Bibbity bobbity boo!"

Air rushed around Sara's heels, and she felt an odd sensation run through her. She could feel her hair being pulled back and when she looked down, she saw that the scraps of material were gone.

Sara looked in the mirror. She gasped silently at her appearance. Her hair was pulled back into curls, and a sparkling diamond necklace sat delicately. She was wearing a long, sparkling white dress, a long shot from what her blue dress had looked like. Glancing down, she saw the trademark glass slippers at her feet.

Catherine smiled. "Now, my child, we must get you to that ball."

Tapping her wand out the window, sparks of magic shot out towards a large pumpkin in the middle of the neighboring farm. It magically grew into a large white carriage, just like Sara remembered in the movie.

Spotting the mice staring at her from the windowsill, Catherine waved her wand at them. They all scattered from their perch, but the shots of magic caught up with them and they grew into four white stallions. The carriage gravitated towards the horses, and was magically attached to their bridles.

"Now, that's better. But one more thing is missing," Catherine said. Snapping her wand towards the barn, she flicked it, and Sara heard a large squeal come from the cow. A few moments later, a man in a top hat and tailored suit stepped out and walked towards the carriage and opened the door.

Catherine took Sara's hand, and they walked towards the front door. Once outside, Sara hugged Catherine, relieved.

Catherine smiled at her and whispered in her ear, "I'll always be there when you need me, child. But my magic won't last. You have until the clock strikes twelve."

Snapping her fingers, Catherine vanished.

Sara looked over at the man standing at the door of the carriage and walked towards him, very careful of her new dress.

Getting inside of the carriage, Sara grinned. She would never forget this, and she was glad that this time Catherine wasn't running at her madly.

Feeling the carriage start moving, Sara sighed. They were on the way to the ball.

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Sara was startled away from her thoughts when she felt the carriage come to a halt.

The door opened, and the former cow helped her out. "You'd better hurry," he said.

Walking daintily over to the large castle, Sara climbed each step, careful not to stumble.

There were guards placed along the sides of the wall of the entrance, and Sara blushed as they all turned to stare at her while she walked passed them.

Walking further, she came to a large ballroom, where a large crowd had gathered. She stopped at the doorway and looked into the scene.

There were a line of women lined up to meet the prince, who was Grissom of course. He looked embarrassed with the attention. Typical Grissom, she thought.

Sara spotted her stepmother and stepsisters near the front of the line. They stepped forward towards Grissom, and Sara had to contain her laughter when Mandy stepped on Sofia's heels, causing her to trip slightly.

A deep manly voice announced their names. Jacqui stepped forward and smiled at Grissom.

"These are my daughters, your highness. Sofia would like to have this next dance, if she may."

Sofia smiled at Grissom, who had a sick look on his face. Good for you Griss, Sara thought.

Stepping forward, she inched into the room.

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"Ummm-" Grissom paused. Something had caught his eye.

A beautiful young woman had entered the ballroom. Grissom's throat went dry.

"I'm sorry, will you excuse me?" he said, and walked passed the Jacqui, Sofia and Mandy. Everyone started to murmur.

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Sara almost fainted from emotional excitement when Grissom started over towards her. This is it, screamed a voice in her head.

It only took him a minute or so to get through the crowd. Sara smiled shyly at him.

"Hello," he said softly, offering his hand. "Would you like to dance with me?"

Sara grinned and took his hand. The crowd erupted.

Walking towards the dance floor, Grissom nodded at the band that was playing. The conductor lifted his wand, and the band started to play a waltz.

Placing a hand on her waist at a respectable distance, Grissom looked at Sara waiting.

Oh god, I hope I can dance in this story, she thought. She lifted her hand to his shoulder, and they started to move in time with the music.

Sara couldn't seem to make eye contact with Grissom, and she looked around the room and spotted Jacqui and Sofia glaring at her from across the room.

The waltz seemed to last only a few seconds to Sara, and she smiled when Grissom held onto her hand and led her out of the room to the courtyard.

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The courtyard was decorated with dozens of beautiful wildflowers, and there was a large fountain in the middle of the area. A grandfather clock stood next to the fountain.

Sara glanced at the clock and felt faint. It was already eleven thirty. She only had a half-an-hour to spend with Grissom.

He led her over to the fountain and sat down, dragging her down with him. Sara perched on the edge of the fountain, careful not to lean back.

"I feel like I know you," Grissom said, gazing at her. "Have we met before?"

Sara smiled. "You could say that."

He nodded. "Tell me your name, please."

"Sa-Cinderella," she said, mentally smacking herself for almost blurting out her real name.

"Cinderella….Are you here with anyone?" he asked.

She nodded. "My stepmother and stepsisters were in line to talk with you. They left without me," she said sadly.

Grissom frowned. "Why would they leave you?"

Sara shook her head. "It's complicated. You wouldn't understand," she said, standing.

Sara walked over to the flowers that were surrounding the fountain and fingered the petals gently. Grissom came up next to her and took one of her hands.

"You took my breath away when I saw you," he confessed.

Sara blushed and turned away. Glancing at the clock, she saw she had about five minutes left. She had to put an end to this quick.

Walking away from the fountain, she continued deeper into the courtyard, where she saw a figurine of an angel perched on a plaster stand. Whoever had made the angel had taken special care to carve its features in. The eyes of the angel were closed, and a sweet smile was on its face. It looked perfectly content.

She could feel Grissom come up behind her and he put his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him.

"Talk to me Cinderella," he pleaded. "I can see something is bothering you."

Sara started to explain, when she heard the first chime of the clock. It was midnight. She had to get away.

Pulling out of his grasp, she ran towards the ballroom, and pushed passed the strangers. She could hear Grissom yelling for her to stop. Someone tried to grab her hand, but she pulled away.

Sara ran down the entranceway and passed the guards, who were startled out of their stance. She reached the steps, and she saw her carriage waiting for her. Running down the steps, she tripped and almost fell down the rest of the stairs. Trying to sit up, she could hear the clock ringing. A weird sensation came over her. Kicking her glass slippers off, she ran to the carriage, and accidentally dropped one of them trying to get into the carriage. She could see Grissom appear, yelling her name, telling her to stop.

The carriage took off before he could reach it. Turning the corner wildly, she gasped as a chill ran down her back and her dress disappeared. The carriage suddenly flipped, as the horses shrank back to their original forms as mice.

Sara was thrown from the carriage, and she landed on the street, scraping her hands and knees. The carriage shriveled and the pumpkin landed on the street, smashing.

Scrambling to get up, Sara saw her remaining glass slipper lying on the road side. She scooped it up, and raced home.

Seeing the farm in the distance, Sara ran harder until she reached the front door. Bursting through the door, she ran down the hall to her room.

Screeching to a stop, she saw that Jacqui, Sofia and Mandy were all waiting for her. Sara felt naked in her rags.

"Where did you put it?" Sofia yelled, moving towards Sara.

"Put what?"

"Your dress," she sneered. "We all saw it. Where the hell did you get it from!" Sofia grabbed Sara's arm, while Mandy grabbed the other.

Jacqui looked extremely outraged. "You filthy wretched girl! You ruined Sofia's chances with the prince! I don't want you in my sight." She turned towards the girls. "Lock her in the upstairs closet."

Sofia and Mandy nodded and dragged a helpless Sara down the halls and up the stairs.

Throwing her into the closet, Sofia and Mandy sneered evilly at Sara and slammed the door, locking it.

Sara burst into tears. Putting her head on her hands she turned over and cried until there were no more tears.

A few hours later, she could hear a rustling, and two beady eyes stared at her. It was one of the mice. He wiggled his nose at her, as if to say "I have a plan." A minute later he was gone, and Sara was left alone in the dark closet.

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Grissom rounded up all of his men and rode out into the moonlight on horseback. Cinderella had disappeared in a flash, and he didn't even know where she lived.

He had picked up her abandoned glass slipper when she had run, leaving him behind. At least he had something to identify her by. He would search out all of the women in the land who had invitations to the grand ball. He would find Cinderella. He had fallen in love with her.

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Sara had lost all track of time, but she guessed it must have been somewhere around mid-morning. Unable to sleep, Sara had forced herself awake. She couldn't leave Cinderella stuck in the closet. She had to get out.

Downstairs, Jacqui was oblivious to the four mice that had crawled up on her table to retrieve the keys to the closet. Pushing the key on the floor, the mice grabbed the key-ring with their teeth and pulled it desperately out of the room. A bluebird was sitting on the edge of the stair railing, and flew over to the mice. Picking the key up with its claws, it flew in search of the closet.

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Jacqui was woken with the sound of a doorbell. Moaning, she heaved herself out of bed and pulled on a robe. Walking down the stairs, she saw her daughters Sofia and Mandy come down the hallway from their rooms.

Opening the door, she gasped as she saw Prince Grissom standing there, staring at her.

"We're sorry to disturb you ma'am. Would you allow me to come inside?" he asked.

Jacqui nodded and opened the door. Grissom walked inside and looked at Sofia and Mandy, who were hiding in the corner. He recognized them faintly, and doubted that either of them was Cinderella.

"Would you three please take a seat?" he asked. They all sat.

One of his henchmen came over and took out the glass slipper.

"Please try the shoe on, each of you," Grissom said.

Jacqui slipped the glass slipper on. Her foot was too small. Next was Mandy, who's foot was also too small. Sofia tried to squeeze her big foot into the shoe, but it wouldn't fit.

Grissom sighed. This had been their last chance. Turning, he went to leave, when he heard a voice from the stairs.

Sara was standing there, looking down at him. The bluebird had unlocked the door to the closet, and she had been able to get out in time.

Grissom stopped and looked at her. It had to be her; there was no one left.

Walking slowly down the steps, Sara moved passed Jacqui, and sat next to Sofia. With a grin, she slipped her foot into the glass slipper. It fit perfectly.

Grissom's face lit up, and he walked over to her. Standing up, she smiled at him, ecstatic. He had found her.

Taking her hand, Grissom led Sara towards the door, but suddenly halted. Sara was so tired she almost ran into him.

"Cinderella, will you come with me to the castle?" he asked. Kneeling, he looked up at her, his eyes shining. "Be my princess, please?"

Sara nodded tearfully, and pulled him up. Walking out the door, she glanced back at her stepmother and stepsisters. "I hope you have a nice life," she said smugly, and walked out of the door.

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At Sara's wish, they wed later that afternoon. Listening to the priest's words about their new relationship as a couple made Sara cry.

"You may kiss the bride," said the priest, and they smiled at each other.

Grissom leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss that stole her breath away.

Running out of the church, they made their way into the carriage that was waiting for them. Getting in, Sara sighed happily and leaned against Grissom' s side and closed her eyes.

The last thing she remembered was his whispered words of "I love you." Sara fell once more into darkness.

TBC

A/N: Holy crap! That was tough…..please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

A/N: YAY! I'm back again with another chapter…I know it's been awhile, but I was pursuing my other obsession of Sailor Moon….don't even go there! I may be 16, but I'm still a little kid. Anyways, I thought that we would return to the real world for a little….Please Review!

Something warm was weighing down on her arm.

Sara's eyes fluttered open, fuzzy from sleep. Turning her head, she gasped quietly as she saw Carly laying next to her, sleeping soundly.

Carefully, Sara slid her arm out from under Carly and gently removed herself from the bed. Glancing at the clock, Sara saw that she had been sleeping for around three hours.

She rubbed her head gently. It all seemed so real, but she knew it was all a dream. She could faintly remember some of the dreams, seeing some of the gang, seeing Grissom.

Grissom was the one that had saved her from the fairytale villains. Was this some kind of crazy sign? she thought.

It was a little after eleven o' clock, and Sara was starting to get anxious. How long was this concert supposed to last?

Her cell phone interrupted her thoughts once again. This time, it was Nick.

"Well, you better have a damn good explanation for me Nick," she grumbled.

"Sara! I'm so sorry! I totally forgot about tonight, and Catherine told me all about what happened," Nick pleaded to her. "Grissom said that if nothing else came in tonight, I could go early. Originally I was supposed to keep her for the night."

Sara frowned. "So, what are you trying to tell me Nick?"

"I'll be there in an hour to pick her up. I know you wouldn't appreciate me leaving her with you for the whole night," said the Texan. "She's sleeping right?"

"Yeah, for about three hours now," she replied. "I'll get everything ready."

"Thanks Sara, you're the best," he drawled.

"Oh, and Nick?" she said sweetly.

"Yeah?"

"You owe me big time."

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Sara lounged around, now wide awake. She had moved around the house cleaning and dusting here and there, careful to be quiet. After everything was eye-friendly, she retired to her couch and browsed through the latest issue of _Forensic Monthly, _highlighting the parts that she found interesting.

At about midnight, a knock sounded at her door. Getting up from the couch, she stretched lazily, and went over to the door. Looking through the peephole, she saw Nick standing on the other side grinning at her.

Opening the door, she stood aside, letting Nick in.

"Hey Sara," he said softly. "She still asleep?"

"Yeah, out like a light," she whispered back to him.

Sara led Nick to her bedroom, where Carly lay sleeping. Sara gathered up her knapsack and Nick gently eased the child into his arms.

Walking out of Sara's apartment, the two CSI's walked down to Nick's Tahoe that was waiting. Sara placed Carly's things in the front seat, while Nick laid the little girl down on the back seat and buckled her in , careful not to wake her. Nick turned to Sara and smiled at her.

"Thanks for everything," he said gratefully.

Sara shrugged. "I know you would have done the same for me, Nick."

He grinned. "Well, I'd better be gettin' along now. Try to get some sleep. Thanks again."

Sara nodded, and Nick walked over to the drivers' side of the vehicle, and climbed in.

Sara waved, and walked back to her apartment. Once she got inside, she sighed loudly as she looked at the clock. It was almost one in the morning, but she was wide awake. There was no way she was going back to bed, and her apartment seemed to choke her with boredom.

Sighing, she went into her bedroom and changed into a black t-shirt and a pair of white dress pants. Grabbing her keys, she headed out the door once again.

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Parking her car, Sara walked once more into the CSI building. She reasoned that since Nick had left, she might be needed.

Things seemed quiet, and there were a few people cluttering the halls, but relatively no action. She spotted her prey sitting in his office, doing paperwork.

She walked over to his office and leaned against the doorframe, watching him. He must have sensed her presence, because he looked up immediately.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Grissom asked, looking slightly puzzled.

"Nick left obviously, so I figured I'd come in just in case something came up," she replied. "You never know. Criminals don't have a schedule."

Grissom frowned. "It's your night off Sara. Go home and sleep."

"I already did, for three hours I might add. I'm wide awake, and I thought my time would be better spent here," she argued, and stepped into his office. She slid into a chair in front of his desk. "Anything interesting come in tonight at all?"

Grissom shook his head. "No, nothing but a trick roll," he said. "Catherine and Greg are handling it."

Sara nodded and crossed her legs. "And I see the paperwork has reared its ugly head."

"Unfortunately. You can't avoid things forever," he said, smiling shyly at her.

Sara grinned at his double entendre. He was trying, she thought happily.

Grissom cleared his throat. "Maybe you could look over a couple of cold cases. I'll notify you as soon as something comes in," he said, the supervisor in him coming out.

Sara nodded and stood up. She turned to leave his office, but she heard her name again. She turned back to face him.

"Breakfast?" he asked, his eyes tinkling with emotions. "After shift? We could talk?"

Sara smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."

Grissom smiled and looked back down, silently dismissing her.

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Sara grabbed a cold case and wandered to the break room. Entering, she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

Her eyes scanned over the file. A couple of months ago, a woman had been found murdered in her basement by a maid. The husband was out at the time, claiming to be at a business meeting. The COD was gunshot to the head, but there was no bullet casing found, no trace evidence, just some GSR left on the victim's shirt. There was no gun left at the scene, so Sara ruled suicide out.

She read through the case file over and over, but came up with nothing probative.

Her beeper shocked her out of thought.

It was Grissom. _419 IN HENDERSON. COMING?_

She grinned and closed the folder, and headed out of the break room.

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Grissom was perched on the edge of his desk when she arrived. He smiled at her, and stood up straight.

"You rang?" she asked, smirking.

"Brass just called it in. He says it looked like a suicide, but something wasn't right."

Sara grinned. "Well, what are we standing around for?"

Grissom returned her smile. "After you," he said smoothly, and followed her out of the office.

TBC

Ok, so what did you all think? I'm getting back to the fairytales in a bit. Just bare with me! Reviews make me happy!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I put them on my wish list, but Santa didn't bring me them for Christmas….I don't own them!

A/N: DUN DUN DUHHHHHH….Lol I'm back with another chapter! Work and school has been so crazy, and I've been so tired….ughhh…anyways, here's the 7th chapter! I'm starting this case file, but don't get freaked out, since the fairytales will come back. Hope y'all like it, and please review!

The ride to the crime scene was surprisingly relaxing, with the exception of the sexual tension that still plagued the two CSI's. Sara caught Grissom looking at her through the corner of her eye, and looked at him. He quickly averted his eyes, causing her to chuckle.

"You should keep your eyes on the road, Griss," she laughed. "It's no good if we're killed on the way to the crime scene."  
Grissom just scowled.

They arrived at the crime scene shortly after, and followed the crime scene tape up to a large brick house. Showing their ID to the officer, they entered the house, and looked around.

The house had a large welcoming area, with an expensive looking chandelier dangling from the ceiling. Oil canvases were spread out across a railing that led up a winding staircase to an upper level.

Brass' voice rang down at them. "Up here guys, first one on your left. And it's not pretty."

The two carefully made their way up the stairs, staring at the canvases as they went. Whoever had painted these pictures looked to be severely troubled. Globs of black and red oil paints were streamed over the canvasses, with words like _death _and _hate_ scribbled over them.

Sara shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder about people," she said, looking at Grissom.

He shrugged, at a loss for words.

Once they reached the top of the staircase, they walked over to an open bedroom. Sara had to keep herself from gagging.

"Meet Christina Macmann, thirty-two, owns a gallery down on the strip. Neighbor called PD after the mail started piling up," Brass said, nodding to the body.

A small woman with jet black hair stared up at them. Her mouth was twisted in a grimace, her eyes staring in lifeless terror. Grissom noted a gunshot to the chest, but oddly enough, her throat was slashed as well. A puddle of blood had formed around her, soaking her white blouse and hair. Her hands were splayed at her sides, and a knife lay at her feet.

Sara looked at Grissom. "Well, obviously looks like there's signs of foul play."

Grissom nodded. "I'm not seeing a gun anywhere around her. Even if she tried to slit her throat and shoot herself, we'd have two weapons lying there, not one." He looked at Brass. "Has the coroner been called in yet?"

Brass nodded. "Far as I know, David's on his way."  
A loud crash sounded behind them. They walked to the stairwell and saw the young man, smiling sheepishly at them. "Sorry I'm late. Took a wrong turn."

Grissom smirked. "It's all right David. The bodies up here, could you come assist us."

David nodded, heading for the staircase.

Grissom turned to Sara. "Ok, I'll finish up with the body, and then we can get started on the bedroom."

Sara nodded. "I'll start processing the staircase and the rest of the house."

Grissom nodded his head, gave her a quick wink, and headed off to the bedroom, leaving her standing there.

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It took Sara a good two hours to go over the staircase and print the railing. Collecting her evidence, she placed everything in her case and headed to the bedroom, where Grissom had already started processing.

There was an officer posted at the door, but Brass and the others had left an hour ago, leaving the two CSI's to their work.

Grissom was crouched near the area where the body had laid previously. He turned, standing when she entered the room. "Find anything?"

Sara nodded. "Lots of prints on the railing, and I found a couple of muddy shoeprints at the bottom of the staircase. Looked in the kitchen and guest bedroom, but found nothing out of the ordinary besides a few more paintings," she said. "Something seemed….happier about those ones, not as depressing. I swabbed a sample of the paints on the canvases on the staircase, and it looks as though the words may have been added as an after thought."

Grissom nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Or, perhaps our assailant added them after doing away with the victim. Maybe as an additional way to ruin her life."

Sara nodded in agreement. "Find anything in here?"

He nodded. "Found a shell casing under the bed, possibly from one of the murder weapons." He walked over to his kit and pulled out a plastic evidence bag. "She had this in her left pocket."

Sara took the bag and looked at it. It was a small charm bracelet, with various expensive looking pendants. One of the links seemed to be broken off, a small golden chain link in its place.

"Looks like something fell off here, or maybe broken off," Sara pondered, examining the bracelet. "Maybe in a struggle. Her attacker could have taken it with them. Did you-"

"Looked all through the bedroom. Unless you found it, it's not here," he replied. He looked at the wall clock in the bedroom. "It's getting late. Why don't we head back?"

Sara nodded. "Sure. You have everything here?"

He nodded.

"Alright, let's hit the road," she said, and walked out of the bedroom, Grissom following her.

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When they got back to the lab, they split up to drop evidence off in various places. It was well passed the end of shift. Grissom met up with her in his office.

"Trace is backed up," Sara said, taking a seat in front of his desk. He nodded.

"I got the bullet back from Doc Robbins, and it's from a nine millimeter. COD is obvious, that she bled out. Both the shot and the cut were enough to kill her," he said, eying her. "Shift's over."

She smiled, crossing her legs. He eyed her from his seat.

"I believe we had a previous arrangement?" he asked suggestively, smirking at her. "Breakfast? My place?"

Her smile grew, silently glad that they could finally be alone, able to talk in private. "Give me an hour?"

He nodded. "I'll be waiting."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI…Don't sue me please :angel:

A/N: You love technology, and then you hate it! My wireless internet is being a bad boy, so I thought I'd write another chapter! Thank you to everyone that has stayed with this story! Your reviews make my day!

Sara ran home quickly to change out of her work clothes and into something more suitable for breakfast with Grissom. She chose a low-cut dark maroon sweater, and her favorite pair of black jeans. Glancing at her watch, she cursed silently seeing that she was running late.

Bounding out of her apartment, she clutched a box of strawberries that she had picked up from the farmers' market earlier. The produce was at its best this time of year.

On the way to the townhouse, Sara thanked God that she was granted the green lights, and managed to arrive at Grissom's only five minutes late.

Sara walked briskly up the walk to his door and knocked. She heard a faint scuffling by the door, but a moment later she was greeted with the sight of Grissom.

He also seemed to have changed out of his work attire into a navy sweater and, surprisingly enough, a pair of jeans. Sara felt her eyes wandering, but was snapped out of her daydream state by the sound of his voice.

"Would you like to come in? Breakfast is almost ready," Grissom said, taking the strawberries from her.

Sara smiled and stepped inside. She immediately took in her surroundings. It had been awhile since she'd set foot in the townhouse. He had invited her in before briefly after a tough shift, and they had discussed a case, but nothing more had taken place. Her eyes skimmed over his massive book collections, his sound system, his television. Her eyes paused at a small table, near his couch. Walking over, she glanced at the picture frame and picked it up. It was a picture of the team, back before they had been split up and before Ecklie had been promoted, at the annual staff christmas party. The five had crowded around the breakroom, and Greg had snapped a few pictures. Sara remembered how happy she'd been, even though the passed few years had been heart-breaking. She was happy that everything was back to normal.

Sara felt Grissom walk up behind her, and she turned, stil clutching the frame. He smiled shyly at her. "Greg sent me this a couple of days later. Things seemed less complicated at that moment," he confessed, looking down.

Sara nodded, setting the picture frame back down. "So what's for breakfast? Something smells good."

Grissom looked at her, still caught in the moment. "I made omelettes. Everything's ready," he said, motioning towards the kitchen. "After you."

Sara smiled at him and walked towards the kitchen, where the scent of eggs and cheese was wafting towards her nose. She took at seat at the island, nervously wringing her wrists.

Grissom shuffled through the cupboards and placed a cup and plate in front of her. "Orange juice alright to drink?" he asked.

Sara nodded silently, smiling as he poured her a glass. Picking up her plate, he walked over to a frying pan and carefully flipped a piece of omelette onto it.

Setting it before her, he paused for a second and frowned. Snapping his fingers, he opened a small door and set a fork and knife down beside her plate. "Anything else you need?" he asked, looking her directly in the eyes for the first time since she had arrived.

She shook her head. "No thanks. This looks good, thank you."

He nodded, and took his own plate to serve himself. After finishing, he took the seat next to her, and poured himself a glass of orange juice.

They silently ate their meal, afraid to speak and wreck the moment. Sara was surprised at Grissom's cooking skills, and savored every bite of her omelette. She set her cutlery down and turned towards Grissom, who had also finished.

"That was excellent, thank you," she said gratefully, smiling at him. He nodded in reply, taking her plate and putting the dirty dishes into the sink.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he said, leaving the plates to soak in the water. He stood next to her, his eyes wandering over her face. They stopped near her lips, and Sara's heart leaped into her throat.

"Thank you for inviting me," she said, in a whisper, leaning into him slightly. She could barely breathe.

"Thank you for coming," Grissom whispered back. His hands found themselves on her waist, her arms wrapping around his neck. He pulled her into his embrace, and she relaxed, sighing happily.

"You wanted to talk?"she whispered, nuzzling his neck gently.

He nodded slightly. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone. I want you to be a part of it."

She felt like crying from his emotional release. She pulled him closer. "I want to be a part of it too."

"Good. Because at this point, I don't think I could take no for an answer."

Sara laughed lightly at his remark. He pulled back, and looked at her.

They were so close, only a few inches separating their lips. His eyes seemed to be checking hers for permission to proceed, and she smiled leaned closer.

Kissing Grissom for real was nothing like in her dreams. His lips were soft and demanding, nibbling enthusiastically on her own. His tongue was running over her bottom lip, and she granted access, earning a soft moan from both participants. Their kisses grew more and more passionate, and Sara thought she might die when his hand slipped under her shirt.

Sara broke away, leaving them both gasping for air. She leanded her forehead against his.

Grissom sighed. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

Sara grinned, giving him a chaste kiss. "Then why haven't you?"

"All the obstacles that prevented me before just don't seem to matter anymore," he said, caressing her cheek. "Are we moving too fast?"

Sara sighed, moving back slightly, and looked into his eyes. "I don't want to rush you Grissom, but I've been waiting for years for this."

He nodded, releasing her waist, taking a step back. "Have dinner with me tonight?"

She smiled at him, nodding. "Sure. What time?"

"I'll pick you up at 6. Wear something nice."

He walked her to his door, and waited while she put her shoes on. She paused at his door, turning to look at him.

"Everything will be fine Grissom. Don't worry about it right now," she said, taking his hand.

They stood there silently, simply basking in the pleasure of each other's presence.

Finally, Grissom pulled her into his embrace, hugging her tightly, then releasing her. "I'll see you at 6."

"I'll be there," Sara said, smiling. She gave him a quick kiss, and was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or any of these characters.

A/N: Well, it's about time, isn't it! Thank you for being so patient with me! Oh, and thanks to Kim for beta-ing this chapter. FYI, I love reviews!

Grissom whistled loudly as he put away the breakfast dishes. Everything had gone better than he expected.

Much better.

He finished drying the last fork, and hung the dish towel on the oven handle. The events over the last few days were starting to catch up with him, and he could feel his eyelids starting to droop. Yawning, he made his way through the townhouse to his bedroom.

He pulled on a pair of sweatpants in exchange for his jeans and crawled into his bed. Within seconds, his eyes closed and he faded into the dream world.

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Plop!

He landed softly on something rather hard, with his legs split. Grissom opened his eyes surprised and nearly died from a heart attack.

He was surrounded by massive trees that had to be at least twenty feet tall, maybe more. Even more unbearable, the trees had long vines with vicious looking thorns. Grissom felt himself move, and looked down.

It seemed he was riding horseback on a pure white stallion. His body was enclosed tightly in silver armor that glinted in the sunlight, making him slightly claustrophobic. He looked to his side, and saw a long sharp sword.

He was definitely not in Kansas anymore.

Grissom took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself. It was only a dream, and he would be waking up any second now….

_Grrrrrrrooooooooooaaaarrrrrr!_

Grissom nearly fell off the horse. He glanced nervously at the sky, feeling slightly nauseous at what he saw.

A gigantic black dragon was hovering over him, its yellow eyes peering at him furiously. It let out another roar, and opened its mouth.

Grissom did not want to stick around to see what would come out of the mouth of the dragon. He wasn't stupid. Grabbing the reins, he kicked the side of the horse, and held on for dear life.

The horse galloped safely into the underbrush of the tree, just as the dragon released its fiery breath. Grissom could feel the flames licking at the back of his head, but he didn't dare to look back.

After galloping for awhile, Grissom slowed the horse and slid off rather ungracefully. He had made it out of the forest and onto a meadow of green grass.

He stretched his sore leg muscles and stood up straight. Luckily because of his armor, he didn't seem to have any injuries from the thorns that had scratched at him during his hasty escape. Pulling off his helmet, he looked around to analyze where he was.

That's when he saw it.

Tall, stone walls high upon a hill, led by a gravel road. A castle. It reminded him of something off of the cover of a Disney Magazine.

Grissom rubbed the bridge of his nose and sat down. He looked at his arm, and pinched it.

Nothing.

He closed his eyes, grabbed his hair and shook his head wildly. He opened his eyes again hopefully, but was only disappointed.

Grissom sighed. This was one of the very few moments of his adult life that he felt like crying.

He looked around, and glanced at the stallion, which was grazing close by. Suddenly, the horse looked up and whinnied. Grissom turned around, and felt his throat clench.

The dragon was back. The beast was flying fast towards Grissom and the horse, looking ferociously annoyed. It opened its mouth, and blue flames poured out in earnest.

Grissom ran towards the stallion and climbed onto its back. Without being told, the stallion took off, not towards the forest, but towards the castle. Grissom merely held on for dear life.

Daring to glance behind him, he saw the dragon closing distance on him. Suddenly, the horse stumbled out of control, and Grissom was thrown off.

Quickly gathering himself, he stood up, only to duck and miss the dragon's sharp claws. Grissom stumbled backwards and looked at the dragon, which was circling back. He could swear the beast was smiling at him.

Cocky little bugger, he thought.

Suddenly, an idea formed in his head. Why should he have to run when he could defend himself?

_Wait a second_, Grissom thought. _This is not me thinking here_!

_No, it's not, _said a tiny feminine voice. _You have to kill the dragon so you can get the princess. She's in the tallest tower. Quickly, you must go! _

_Lady, are you crazy? _Grissom thought back. But there was no answer.

Looking to his side, he grabbed his sword and took a stance. Hopefully, his dream self would know how to fight.

The dragon hissed, and started to do a head dive towards Grissom. Grissom gulped, but held steady. He felt the sword vibrate, and a sensation came over his body he'd never felt before.

The dragon reached its claws out to deliver a death blow, but Grissom got there first. He took the sword, flung it into the dragon's belly, and dove out of the way.

The dragon faltered, and crashed to the ground, squealing in agony. It twitched its legs and tail a few times trying to get up, but fell down.

Silence overcame the meadow.

Sweating, Grissom stood up and approached the dragon carefully. He saw a slow stream of blood flowing from the belly. It didn't take a criminalist, like him, to figure out the dragon was dead.

Suddenly, the dragon's body twitched and revolted, then started to shrink. In a blink of an eye, the dragon was gone, and a tall woman in a long black dress stared up at him with black, dead eyes.

Grissom gasped. It was Lady Heather.

He rushed over to her, but knew it was too late. The fact that she had tried to kill him made Grissom sick to his stomach.

Turning his back, he walked over to the stallion, who was observing safely from a distance. He patted the stallion on the back and climbed on.

"Ok boy, let's go find this Princess," he said, and gently nudged the horse with the heels of his boots.

The horse whinnied and took off towards the castle.

Within a few minutes, Grissom had reached the castle. The giant walls loomed far above his head, and he didn't bother dismantling from the stallion. If the Princess was at the tallest tower, there was no way in hell he would be walking on foot.

Inside the castle, he saw a long winding staircase. He cursed, knowing the horse wouldn't be able to make it up. Taking the reins, he slid off and led the horse over to the stairwell, tying the reins to the railing.

He sighed, and started the long trek up the stairs.

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In what seemed like hours, Grissom finally made his way to the top of the stairs. Sweating, he leaned himself against a wall.

_Don't stop now! You're almost there,_ said the tiny voice in his head.

Grissom grunted, and walked down a long, narrow hallway. There were no windows or pictures framing the walls, and the only door he could see was at the end of the hallway.

Walking over to the door, he turned the knob. The door swung open, and he gasped.

The room was cast in a brilliant orange glaze from the setting sun, and there was a large white canopy bed. Lying in the bed was a women dressed in a white nightgown, sleeping. Her long brown hair was cascading down the sides of the mattress, and from the film of dust around the room, it seemed like she had been undisturbed for quite awhile.

Grissom walked further into the room, and crept towards the bed. He looked at the women intensely.

It couldn't be. But, it was.

It was Sara.

Grissom leaned down and brushed his fingers across her face, shivering at the unexpected warmth.

"Sara?" he whispered. "Sara, can you hear me?"

She didn't even stir.

_You have to kiss her,_ said the voice. _It's the only way you can awaken Aurora._

Aurora? He knew he'd heard that name before.

All of the pieces seemed to come together quickly. Dragon, castle, sleeping princess. It was an uncanny resemblance to the story of Sleeping Beauty. But stuck in a fairytale? Absurd.

All he knew was that he wanted Sara to wake up. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, and leaned back.

Nothing.

He shook his head. Like a kiss on the cheek was going to fix this problem.

He felt butterflies in his stomach, but ignored their flittering wings. Leaning down, he brushed her lips with his, lingering for only a moment.

Suddenly, Sara gasped and her eyes flew open.

"Where am I?" she asked, looking around herself. "Philip? Is that you?"

_Philip? Oh, she means me_, thought Grissom.

"Are you alright?" asked Grissom, cupping her cheek.

Sara nodded. "Where's Maleficent?"

Grissom sighed. "If you mean that lady in black, I killed her. She was in the form of a dragon, and-"

Sara flung her arms around him. "Thank you so much Philip! After she cast that spell on me, I knew I was a fool to trust her, " she cried, tears running down her face.

"Honey, let me get you out of here," said Grissom. "I have a horse waiting downstairs. Come on, let me take you home."

Sara nodded, and took his hand, letting him lead her out of the room.

The two ran down the flight of stairs to the stallion. Grissom helped Sara on first, and then climbed on next to her. He felt her wrap her arms around his body, and he smiled.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said, and nudged the stallion to proceed.

Once outside, the stallion easily approached a full gallop. Grissom was slightly stunned to see the body of 'Maleficent' vacant, although the grass was still blood stained from where she had fallen.

Looking forward, Grissom saw the forest approaching. He turned back to see if Sara was alright, noticing how she shivered.

Looking forward again, he moved to slow the horse, but instead, the only thing he saw was a thick tree branch coming straight towards his head.

He closed his eyes, preparing for quick impact, but instead, he fell into darkness.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for my own imagination of course!

A/N: Ok…so I was listening to all of this random, energetic music, and I thought I would write another chapter! Funny how that works, eh? Thanks to all of you that have stuck with me! You guys rock! Hopefully, this story will last another couple chapters (I really hope it doesn't turn into crap)…so keep on reviewing! Love ya all!

Sara whistled to herself as she opened the door to her apartment. Things had gone better than she expected, and she could feel the butterflies in her stomach still fluttering around.

Dinner…with Grissom. She was going to have dinner with Grissom. The thought alone made her weak in the knees, but the actual realization that it was going to happen was too much for her to take at the moment. The exhaustion of the case, and then breakfast and the kiss was too much for her.

_Good lord_, she thought. _What will I do when we decide to get even more intimate? I mean, if we get more intimate. Who am I kidding? I want him, and I'm pretty sure he wants me, after those kisses._

Walking toward her bedroom, she pulled on a satin nightgown and flopped down on her bed. Lying back on her pillows, she felt her nerves bouncing about her body.

_Just calm down. It's just Grissom. He's probably just as frightened as you are._

Sara shook her head, and slid beneath her blankets. Some sleep would do her good right now. If she could fall asleep, that is.

Turning over to her stereo, Sara flipped through her CD's until she found one suitable to soothe her mood. Slipping in the CD, she lay on her stomach and shut her eyes.

Soft jazz music filtered through the room, and Sara could feel herself relax. Her eyelids slipped close, and she fell into a deep sleep.

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Grissom landed on a soft thicket of green grass. He rubbed his sore back and moved to sit up.

Opening his eyes, he saw he had landed in another forest unlike the first one. Glancing around, he was pleased to find that there were no thorns or fire-breathing dragons lurking in the shadows. _Time will tell_, he thought.

Standing up, Grissom stretched his legs and examined his outer appearance. He had on a red cape that easily swayed with any of his movements. He was dressed in a blue and white blouse-like shirt, and wore some kind of black pant, that he refused to accept were tights.

Standing up, Grissom stretched and walked around. He stumbled onto a pathway, and decided to follow its lead.

Whistling as he walked, Grissom made his way down the path until he came to a broad clearing. That was when he saw it.

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Silence greeted Sara's ears. She tried to open her eyes, but it was as if someone had glued them shut. Her breathing was limited, and she felt extremely cramped. That, and she could taste the awful after-taste of something in her mouth. Something very unpleasant, indeed.

Suddenly, voices startled her senses.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this, Victoria! Just a simple dream to relieve their stress, and that was it!" shouted a male voice.

"I'm sorry, Eric. I obviously wasn't monitoring things as I should have," said a woman, who Sara assumed to be Victoria.

"You know the rules. Jahevo made it clear that the Real World and the Dream World must never intersect. I knew it was a stupid idea to give the man the pleasure of entering our realm," complained Eric.

Victoria gasped suddenly. "Your excellency! What are you doing here?"

Sara tried to open her eyes once more, but it was no use. She started to sweat nervously as another man's voice entered the foreign conversation.

"You should no by now there are no secrets in this world, Victoria," said the man. Sara shivered at his tone.

"Your excellency, I tried to warn her. I told her specifically that the man and woman were acquainted in the Real World, and it would cause complications. She insisted she would handle it," whined Eric.

"Jahevo, I ask your forgiveness. It was indeed foolish of me to think that I could prevent them from meeting," said Victoria.

"Indeed it was," sighed Jahevo. "But, I haven't had fun like this in awhile. That man easily dealt with Maleficent, and the woman saved herself from the Wolf. Obviously, they are the right candidates to test my plan on."

Sara started to feel very uncomfortable, realizing that the three voices were speaking about her indeed, but she couldn't understand who the man was they were speaking about.

"Jahevo, you're playing with their souls! If they meet in the Dream World, they'll be trapped!" shouted Eric.

Jahevo laughed evilly. "This is nothing more than a test. If they can complete the test, then I shall spare their souls. Put everything into effect. The fun starts now."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or its characters.

A/N: So, most of you Canadian Graduates know about something called Diplomas (pretty much equivalent to the SAT's in the U.S). Sad enough to say that Real Life did indeed get the best of me…tragic, isn't it? Anyways, you all should be thanking jtbwriter who kicked me in the butt yesterday and told me I had to keep going. Thanks as well to everyone that has seen this story so far…I would never have imagined getting this many thoughtful reviews! So, enjoy the next chapter!

Sara tried to relax as the voices withered away into silence. She tried once more to open her eyes, or wiggle her fingers, anything! But her body refused to listen to her mind. The only thing she could accomplish right now was to listen.

Obviously, this was another dream, but Sara started to feel nervous, reflecting over the conversation Victoria, Eric, and the man named Jahevo had while she was trapped. It was unnerving to hear the possibility that some greater force was trying to control, much less trap, her in this dream-like state.

And the man they had talked about. Sara had to be honest with herself; she knew a lot of men in her life both professionally and personally. She suddenly hoped that whoever this man was, they were personally acquainted. Meeting a criminal in her dreams would indeed be unsettling.

Suddenly, a rush of air hit her face. Her ears slightly popped at the change in air pressure, and she could faintly smell the soft, wooden scent of a pine forest.

A hand touched her face suddenly. "Sara, honey, is that you?" asked a male voice.

Struggling to move or open her mouth to ask for help, Sara screamed internally when her body refused to react. Her eyes remained locked tight.

Another hand felt her throat, like it was searching for a pulse. "She's breathing at least. What the hell is this?" said the same deep voice. Sara felt like she knew the voice, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Sara, honey, if you can hear me, I want you to know that everything will be alright. I think I realize what I need to do, so please don't panic," soothed the man.

Sara shivered, and felt the hand touching her cheek move to touch her lips, as if feeling if they were real. And then, as if the man had come to a rash decision, he kissed her.

A jolt of energy went through her body, and she gasped awake, her eyes opening to the bright light of the sun. She looked up, and met blue. Grissom.

"Sara, are you alright?" he asked, obviously concerned about her.

Sara nodded, looking around for some sort of explanation. "Grissom, where am I? And why do you look-" Her breath hitched as reality smacked her in the forehead.

He knew her name. In all of the other dreams she had experienced, he had always called her something else, a name to fit the fairytale dream she had become trapped in.

"You know me?" she asked, confusion present in her face. "Is it really you?"

Grissom frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Sara sat up suddenly, startling him as she spoke. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but I've been here before. This…Dream World. Many times, in fact. And every time I saw you in my dreams, you weren't…Gil Grissom. You were someone else. You seemed to know me, but you didn't ever call me Sara."

Grissom nodded. "Just a moment ago, I was in some other kind of land. It was like I was trapped in the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty. I had to fight a dragon, and when I finally made it to the castle, I found you asleep in a bed. When I kissed you, you awakened and called me Philip."

Sara frowned, nodding. "It's like we're stuck in some kind of freaky fairytale world, except we're actually asleep," she said. "And just a minute or so before I heard your voice, there were other voices. Three people were having an argument, and two of them seemed to be like some sort of henchmen to the third. They called him Jahevo."

Grissom stood beside Sara and looked into her eyes. "All I know is that we're stuck here, and we recognized each other, unlike before."

"Jahevo said it would be a test, and that the only way out of here would be to complete the test," explained Sara, her voice breaking as she spoke. A single tear ran down her face. "Why us, what did we do to deserve this?"

Grissom reached up and brushed the tear off of her cheek. "Honey, as long as we stick together, we'll figure a way out of here. We're trained investigators, after all."

Sara nodded, looking around her. "Well, it seems to me that we're stuck in some kind of forest," she said, pausing to look at her and Grissom's attire. "I'm in some kind of dress, my hair seems to be normal, and you're wearing tights. "

Grissom grimaced, but nodded. "When I came out into the clearing, you were locked in some kind of glass case, lying on this bed," he explained, patting the bed they sat on. "And you awakened when I kissed you."

Sara snapped her fingers. "I think I've got it! The case, the weird taste in my mouth, the way we're dressed….It has to be Snow White!"

"That's what I thought. I'm not very good on my fairytales, but I remember watching some Disney versions when I would baby-sit Lindsey for an evening if Catherine needed to go out," he said.

Sara grabbed his hand and stood up. "Well, sitting here and not doing anything isn't the key to the problem. Come on," she said, tugging at his arm to follow her.

Grissom followed her, but stopped suddenly.

Sara turned around and looked at him, worried. "What's wrong? We should get going!"

Saying nothing, Grissom walked over to her and kissed her. Sara gasped, but returned the kiss.

Removing his lips from hers, he sighed. "I'm just relieved that you're ok. I saw you lying in that glass…coffin, and I couldn't breathe."

Sara smiled, and cupped his cheek. "I'm glad it was you," she said, pecking him again. "Now, let's get a move on. I want to get back to the Real World. I have a hot date tonight, you know!"

Grissom laughed as he followed her.

**TBC! **


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any of its characters.

A/N: I had free time, so this is what you get! You know there has to be a chapter of fluffiness before we get down to business…Thanks for reviewing, and don't hesitate to do so in the future!

Grissom led the duo as they worked their way through the dense forest, thoughtfully helping Sara along as they went, obvious of the restraint her dress was giving her.

Sara stopped suddenly and sat down on a large root protruding from the ground. "If I wasn't worried about decency, I would shed this thing in a second," she whined, rubbing her arms. "I'm just glad there aren't any bugs yet."

Grissom nodded and sat down next to her. "Honey, be glad you're not in tights right now. The boys are feeling awfully close together."

Sara winced, rubbing his back. "I can't wait to get out of this mess. It's funny how easy it is to take things like food and shelter for granted, until you don't have them."

Grissom nodded his head in agreement, and stood up. "It looks like it's getting dark. We should try to find a suitable clearing to spend the night."

Sara grinned. "So, what is this? You expect me to sleep with you when we haven't even had dinner yet?"

Grissom smirked. "Well, we did have breakfast together, and we haven't been exactly reserved with our feelings for each other," he said, nudging her shoulder with his hand. "And if I recall correctly, a couple of years ago, you did ask if I wanted to sleep with you."

Sara slapped his arm. "That was just for effect, Gil. It was a perfectly rhetorical-" She stopped abruptly, noticing the look on his face. "What? I was just kidding."

Grissom kneeled on the ground in front of her and took her hands in his palms. "I just realized how much I love the sound of my name coming from you," he said, gazing into her eyes.

Sara blushed. "Well, I figured that I should say it at least once in awhile, now that we're, you know," she said, gesturing between them.

"I'm not sure if I do know," said Grissom smirking. "I think you need to spell it out for me."

Sara rolled her eyes, pushing Grissom back with the palm of her hand as she stood up. "Come on, Romeo. Let's find a place to sleep."

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They managed to locate a small burrow about 500 feet from where they had stopped.

Sara shivered looking at the cave-like enclosure. "Griss, are you sure we're not in some bear's little haven here? There are bound to be wild animals out here."

Grissom stopped and looked up from the pile of leaves he was arranging as a bed. "Sara, we'll be perfectly fine. If Fuzzy Wuzzy decides to make trouble for us, I'll show him who's boss," he said, patting the ground. "There's some nice, soft ground right over here. We might as well hit the sack, so to speak."

Sara chuckled. "Ok, one second. I'm going to change out of this stupid tent," she said, smirking as Grissom gulped audibly. "Don't worry, there seems to be some kind of underwear beneath this dress. And besides, we can use the dress for a blanket." She stepped out of sight, laughing to herself.

Grissom nodded, grimacing to himself. There was no way he was losing the tights, no matter how uncomfortable they were. That would be a bit too much right now, he reasoned to himself.

Sara reappeared, holding her dress in front of her like some sort of shield. "Are you sleeping in that?" she asked, nodding her head at his legs.

Grissom sighed. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable Sara. I'll be alright."

Sara walked up to him and dropped the dress. Grissom's mouth dropped open. "It's not as though this is…reality so to speak. But, I don't want to make you uncomfortable as well," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Just do what's best for you."

Grissom nodded, transfixed by her gaze. He leaned into her embrace and rested his forehead against hers. "Do what's best for me?"

Sara nodded, nuzzling his cheek with hers. "You saved me after all. It would be inconsiderate if I just assumed you'd stay uncomfortable for me." She dropped her arms from his neck and turned towards the burrow. "Tear a piece off of the skirt if you want. I don't expect to be keeping it."

Grissom sighed, and bent down to pick up the dress. He examined the inner skirt, and found the seam, tearing it off with his hands the best he could. Sneaking behind the burrow, he lost his tights and wrapped the skirt around his waist. He decided it would have to do, for now. Picking up the dress, he stepped into the burrow.

Sara was kneeling, arranging the leaves around her to make her slumber more comfortable. Grissom cleared his throat, and handed the dress to her as she turned.

Sara smiled, nodding to his waist. "You might as well keep that. I'm sure it'll come in handy if we're stuck here another night."

Grissom groaned, but lied down beside her, careful to keep the skirt in place. "I hope we get out of here as soon as we can. Who knows what kind of diseases are wandering around this place?"

Sara rolled her eyes and turned towards him. Turning on her stomach, she let her head rest on his chest. "Mmm, you make a nice pillow."

Grissom chuckled. "Don't tell anyone. They could get suspicious."

Sara smiled, and propped herself up on her elbows, ending up laying half of her chest on Grissom. "So, where are we going for dinner?" she asked, rubbing circles on his chest.

Grissom smiled. "Well, there's this vegetarian place that just opened up about two months ago. I've heard some good reviews about it."

Sara nodded. "You know, I don't expect you to become a vegetarian just for me. It doesn't bother me as much as it used to."

"I know, but I'd like to try it," he said. "My doctor said I have to eat healthier. Maybe dating a vegetarian will help me do that."

Sara laughed. "Oh, so we're dating now? I thought I had to explain it to you!"

Grissom grabbed her hands, and in a totally uncharacteristic move, flipped them over. Sara laughed and tried to remove her hands from his, but he pinned them above her head. "Maybe dating isn't the right word," he said, kissing her fiercely.

Sara moaned, and wrapped her free leg around his.

Grissom was never so glad that he had tied the double knot in the skirt he wore around his waist, although his arousal seemed to be present.

His hand moved under her undergarment, but Sara's breathe hitched and she tore her mouth from his. "Gil, we can't. It's just not…right."

Grissom heaved in the fresh air as he struggled to catch his breath. "I'm sorry," he said, rolling off of her. "I don't know what came over me."

Sara shook her head. "No, it wasn't your fault. I wasn't exactly being subtle either." She took his hand and laced his fingers with hers. "Just hold me. That's all I can offer right now."

Grissom turned and spooned his chest with her back. "Goodnight Sara."

Sara squeezed his hand. "Night."

And they drifted off into an easy sleep, content in each other's arms.

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Victoria cursed under her breath. "Eric, this is going to be harder than we thought. They're getting closer to the destination."

"Stop whining Victoria," grumbled Eric. "Jahevo told us that the road to the destination was not an easy one. Besides, they're human. What match are they for our powerful leader?"

Victoria crossed her arms in front of her. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

Eric sneered at the woman, and ran off into the darkness. Victoria glanced back at the sleeping couple, and took off after him.

TBC!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any of its characters.

A/N: I swear that jtbwriter was going to have a fit if I didn't do this. My excuse is of course life. I'm very busy with homework, I'm applying to University, and I just don't have time. Besides that I'm losing sleep over Jorja's contract status. Oh, and my computer jumped off a cliff, so I had to wait to get a new one. Lol, without further ado, here it is!

Grissom awoke first. Well, awoke wasn't really the right word for it. It seemed like he had never really fallen asleep, like he had closed his eyes and merely opened them again. This was getting weird.

Sara startled awake next to him and moaned. "We're still here?"

Grissom nodded his head. "It seems that way. How are you feeling?"

Sara sat up and tucked an errant hair behind her ear. "I feel how I felt...however long ago it was. Confused."

Nodding, Grissom stood up, remembering to tuck the skirt he had stolen from the dress around him. "I'm going to look around and try to see where we are. Will you be alright here?"

"I suppose I could if that's what makes this situation easier," she replied.

Grissom frowned. That didn't seem like a very convincing reply to him.

"Really, I'll be fine," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I'll look around and see if I can find something to eat...if we need to eat, that is."

Grissom nodded and pecked her on the lips. "I'll be right back."

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Walking through the forest was indeed a little uncomfortable for Grissom. He gritted his teeth.

_Just keep going_, he thought.

Suddenly, he was thrown off balance when something ran into him.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" said the distraught voice. "Oh dear!"

Grissom straightened himself out just in time to see a white rabbit racing away from him. The rabbit was walking on its hind feet (not surprisingly) and was wearing a waistcoat that fit a little too tightly.

Realizing that this was his only chance, Grissom ran after the rabbit. "Wait, wait! I need your help!"

The rabbit seemed not to hear, and merely raced into a thicket and out of sight. Grissom followed closely, able to hear the rabbit's mumblings. Finally, as if victory had been reached, the rabbit shrieked and hopped down a rabbit hole. Grissom swore gently.

Looking around for something to identify where he had come to, he spotted a golden arrow that was pointing to the sky. Grissom looked around, and noticed that several more golden arrows were hidden from plain site among the foliage. _No wonder the rabbit had been so fast_, he thought. _He was following a trail. _

Carefully backtracking, Grissom headed in the opposite direction to find Sara.

As he jogged away, Grissom was surprised to find that he was the least bit tired. It felt as though he was on a constant stream of energy. He breathed deeply, and ran full speed ahead.

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When he reached the burrow, Grissom called out to Sara, but there was no response. _Where is she? _He felt sick to his stomach.

"Oh, you're back!"

Grissom nearly jumped out of his skin. He whirled around and saw Sara standing behind him.

Sara laughed. "Oh, lighten up!" She handed him a pouch full of red berries.

Grissom pouted, eyeing the mysterious berries wearily. "How do you know these aren't poisonous? I thought that it was a bad idea to die in your dreams."

"Well, right now, they were all that I could find. They're just like raspberries," she said, popping one in her mouth. "I've been eating them since you left, and I feel fine."

Grissom still didn't look convinced. Sighing, he nibbled on one of the smaller berries. Surprisingly, they tasted pretty good.

Sara grinned. "See, I was right. They're delicious!"

Grissom nodded, and took another handful.

"So, what did you find?" Sara asked, sitting down on a large rock nearby.

Grissom choked on his berry and stood up. "I found something. A rabbit."

Sara wrinkled her face up. "A rabbit? What's so special about that?"

"Well, maybe the fact that it was rather concerned about the time and was talking to itself," he said. "Oh, and it was wearing a coat."

Sara jumped to her feet. "What?"

Grissom nodded. "Yeah, he ran right into me. He was saying how he was going to be late, and then he ran down a rabbit hole. I ran after him, but he lost me. It looked like he was following some trail markers of golden arrows."

Sara punched his arm. "Why didn't you say so?! This is so obvious, it's sickening!"

Grissom stared at her.

Bewildered, Sara waved her hands at him. "Rabbit? Complaining of being late? Wearing a jacket? Rabbit hole? Is this ringing any bells?"

It was like a slap in the face. "Sara, are we in Wonderland?"

"I don't know, but it's looking that way right now. You said something about trail markers?"

"They were golden arrows pointing to the sky," he revealed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Almost like..."

"Almost like spades?" Sara finished.

Grissom nodded. It was coming into place.

Sara frowned. "Well, if we're in Wonderland, where's Alice?"

A scream echoed through the forest in answer.

"Do you think you can find the way to the rabbit hole?" Sara asked.

Grissom nodded. Grabbing Sara's hand, he led the way through the forest.

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Victoria squealed. "I told you! They're too smart for our games. We'll never be able to win this!"

Eric sneered at the woman to his left. The two were perched in a tree high above the burrow where the two CSI's had spent the night.

"We need to make sure that they don't make it past the Queen," said Eric. "I'll go warn Jahevo, and you follow the man and woman."

Victoria pouted, but nodded her head in agreement. The two leapt out of the tree and sped off in different directions.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or any of the other stories presented. This is merely a fictional piece of literature.

A/N: You know you wanted it...another chapter! Because it's the summer!

It was dark. The only source of light apparent in the tunnel was from the rabbit hole behind the two CSI's.

Sara grabbed Grissom's hand as they walked. "I don't have a good feeling about this, Grissom."

Grissom squeezed her hand. "I think that maybe we should think like Alice here. She was what, 10, 11? She made it through here and out of here and if she can do it, so can we."

Sara snorted. "That is such a cliché."

As the two made their way through the tunnel, it started to get lighter. Sara was the first one to spot it.

"Grissom," she whispered, pointing. "Look over there. It's a door."

Grissom followed her finger, and gasped.

The door was very large, looming above their heads. The patterns engraved on the door were very peculiar, but nonetheless, the door was just plain and wooden.

Grissom knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He gripped the knob of the door and moved to push the door open. Nothing happened.

Sara sighed and pushed him out of the way. "You have to pull." She grabbed the knob and swung the door open.

A bright light blasted through the darkness, blinding the two CSI's. Squinting through the light, they sauntered into a small room.

Small was an understatement. This room was tiny. Grissom hit his head on the doorway and tripped over some jars that were on the floor.

Sara laughed, and crouched down. "For such a big door, you would think they could have spent some more money on ceiling height."

Crawling across the floor, Sara moved over to a table, and sat in one of the chairs.

Grissom scowled, but followed her to the table. "My knees are too old for this."

Sara rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You've lost at least twenty years to your look."

Grissom looked around the room. There were glass jars everywhere. Big ones labelled "Carrot Juice" and "Orange Marmalade", and small ones with no identification.

"It looks like we've made it to the end of the rabbit hole," Sara remarked, taking in her surroundings as well. "What do we do now, wait?"

Grissom shook his head. "Lewis Carroll wanted to present as many problems as he could to Alice. The more problems he created, the more he shaped her character. That being said, I don't think we're out of here yet."

Sara nodded. "Did you ever watch the movie? Aren't we supposed to find another pathway to the Queen of Hearts' palace?"

Grissom nodded. "Yes, the door is hidden, but it's also very small. You start on that side of the room and I'll start on this side. Make sure you check everywhere."

Sara nodded, and crawled over to the other side of the room. She passed a small shelf with more jars on the shelves and a small table with a key. Wait...a key!

"Grissom, I found a key!" Sara shouted, clutching the small golden key in her hand. "Did you find the door yet?"

"No, not yet," he shouted back. Somewhat tired, he leaned against the wall. Something jabbed his side.

The wall was covered in a thick curtain, which Grissom struggled to get out of the way. Once he had, he felt around for the thing that had poked him. Successfully, he gripped a knob.

"Sara, I've got it!" he shouted, mildly excited. He swung the door open...

Only to be disappointed. There was another door, this time with a lock on it.

Sara crawled over to him, holding the key. "They don't make keys for nothing."

"Give me that," Grissom said, playfully growling at her. He slid the key into the lock, and turned it several times until there was a loud click.

Sara grabbed the knob and pulled. The door swung open slowly, and the smell of fresh air made its way through the dusty house.

Grissom crouched down lower and looked through the door. "There is no way we'll fit through here."

Sara sighed, leaning against the wall. Suddenly, she sat up straight and crawled over to the table where she had found the key. "Come on, I know you're in here somewhere!" she said, rooting through the drawers of the table. "Aha! I found it."

Grissom frowned at her. "What are you talking about?"

Sara smiled and lifted her hand out of the drawer. She was holding a small glass jar that had a label reading 'Drink Me' on the side. "Here, drink some of this, but leave half for me."

"Are you crazy?" Grissom asked, looking at the glass bottle with wide eyes. "Just because something says 'Drink Me' on the side, that doesn't mean it's safe!"

Sara sighed, frustrated. "Grissom, in the original story Alice drinks a bottle like this, and it shrinks her so that she can make it through the door. We have to do the same." Pulling the cap off, Sara downed a couple gulps of the liquid inside.

Grissom scowled. "I hope I don't regret this." He took the bottle from Sara and drained the last few sips.

Sara smiled. "Come on, trust me. This has to be the way in."

Grissom still didn't look convinced. He felt...funny. He started to feel dizzy, and reached out for Sara, but felt nothing. "Sara?"

He felt like he was falling now, and he fell back, nauseous.

Sara grabbed his hand beside him. "Griss, open your eyes!"

Rubbing his head, he stood up, only to fall back down. "I don't know if I can handle this anymore."

Sara laughed and helped him up. "This is amazing! And look, we can walk without bumping our heads!"

The CSI's stood up and took in their surroundings. They had been shrunken, alright...to the size of a mouse. The table and chairs seemed gigantic, but the small door they had opened was just their size now.

Taking Grissom's hand, Sara led them through the room to the door. Concerned, she turned to face him. "Are you going to be alright?"

Grissom nodded and smiled at her. Giving her a small peck on the cheek, he squeezed her hand and pulled her through the door. "Come one, we'll be late."

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: It's turning into Season Eight, and I still don't own CSI. I don't own any of the characters that are affiliated with _Alice in Wonderland_, and Tweedledee and Tweedledum's song was taken from Well, you know how hard it is when people want more...you just have to give it to 'em! Oh, and for those of you familiar with the original _Alice in Wonderland_, you'll know what I'm talking about when I say wow...Anyways, the sequel to _Alice in Wonderland_ is _Through the Looking Glass_, and the Disney version slightly mixes the two...so I'm going to remain true to Disney here and probably skip a few things...It's complicated, but please enjoy.

The first thing that Sara noticed when she stepped through the door was the smell. It was glorious. After being cooped up in that dusty old room, the air outside was fantastic: clean and crisp.

Grissom took a big breath, but started coughing. Sara slapped him on the back.

"It must be your smoker's lung," she said, smirking at his expression.

"Well, you know where we have to go sometimes on our job," he said. "Besides, I've always had bad allergies."

Sara laughed and sauntered slightly ahead of him. The garden they had stepped through the door for was very beautiful, and she couldn't get enough of what she was seeing around her. She felt some yellow flowers that looked very much like daisies and fingered the petals.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" someone barked, startling Sara. She stepped back cautiously.

"Hey! I was talking to you there," said the voice. Sara stepped forward and looked around.

"Over here lady," the voice said again. "And who's the old guy with you?"

Startled, Sara looked up into two pairs of eyes. Two chubby little boys were looking down at her from one of the trees.

"That's right, we're talking to you," said one of the boys. "Where do you think you're going?"

Sara frowned. "Well, my...friend and I here are trying to find a way out. We've been looking for some signs of civilization, and I guess we've finally found it."

"Signs of what?" asked the boy. "Whatever, you talk weird."

"You know, there's no way out," said the other boy. "We know. We've lived here all of our lives."

Grissom cleared his throat and stepped forward. "You two look like you could be brothers."

One of the boys nodded. "That's right, we are! We're brothers, alright."

Grissom nodded. "You know boys, I want to ask you something. What do you say you help us out of this forest?"

The boys laughed. "Why would we wanna do that?"

Grissom smiled calmly. "Well, because we already know who you are, so I figured it would be easier to have someone familiar lead us."

The boys narrowed their eyes at Grissom and Sara. "What do you mean you know us? We've never seen you before," said one of the boys, climbing out of the tree and landing on his behind with a thwack. His brother followed.

Sara grinned, catching onto Grissom's plan. "We'll prove it. Your names are Tweedledee and Tweedledum."

"Holy Moses!" yelled both of the boys. "Who are you?"

Grissom chuckled to himself. This was too easy. "Well, my name is Gil Grissom, and this is my...friend Sara Sidle."

Sara nodded to the boys. "We just want to find our way out."

One of the boys turned to Sara. "Well, I guess we could tell ya what we told the little girl."

Grissom nodded. "Yes, that would help a lot. Thank You."

The boys cleared their throats and burst out in song:

"The walrus and the carpenter were walking cross the land. The beach was wide from side to side but much to full of sand. 'Mr Walrus,' said the carpenter, 'My brain begins to perk. We'll sweep this clear and in a year if you don't mind the work.'  
'The time has come,' the walrus said, 'to talk of other things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings. And while the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings. Kaloo Kalay no work today, we're cabbages and kings...'

Grissom gave Sara a confused look. Sara just smirked and waited for the end of the riddle.

"The end!" yelled the boys finally, laughing. "We have to run, we hope you have fun!" And with that, they scurried off into the bushes.

Grissom frowned. "I've always been one for puzzles, but what the hell?"

Sara chuckled and shook her head. "I am so glad I wasn't that subdued as a child. Besides, that's a popular poem from Lewis Carroll. He wrote it for _Through the Looking Glass_ though, that's what's confusing me."

"What do you mean?" asked Grissom, leaning against a bush.

"Well, technically, Tweedledee and Tweedledum don't even appear in the original book about Alice. It doesn't make sense."

Grissom nodded. "Well, maybe that's a good thing for us. Whoever stuck us in here isn't as smart as they think they are."

Sara smirked. "Yeah, maybe you're right. But, I don't think that we should ignore this. Everything happens for a reason in this place."

"Well whoever it is, maybe this is their way of telling us to watch our backs," Grissom said, grabbing Sara's hand. "We should stick closer together."

Sara smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, I have your back Griss."

Grissom smirked and led Sara away from the tree. "We should keep moving. I'm getting tired of this."

"I know, so am I-" Sara was cut off when something ran into her leg.

"Late, late, late! I'm so late! The Queen will have my head!"muttered the White Rabbit, who looked up at Sara and shrieked. "You're making me late Mary Ann!"

Sara stood back, startled. "Hey, my name is Sara. We need your help!"

The White Rabbit ran off ahead of the two CSI's, still muttering to himself. "Why is she here, she's making me late. She should be cleaning. Oh, I'm late!"

Grissom tightened his grip on Sara's hand. "Come on, we have to follow him. He knows where we need to go." He quickened his pace, tugging Sara to follow.

Sara nodded and met his pace.

The two CSI's ran through the forest after the White Rabbit, out of sight.

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Victoria stepped out from behind the bushes. "Eric, are you here?"

"Where else would I be?" Eric sneered, stepping out from behind a tree.

"You don't have to talk to me like that," Victoria whined. "What did Jahevo have to say?"

Eric dusted some imaginary dust off of his shoulder. "He told me I was doing a good job, and to keep following them."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "What else?"

"He said that we should look for a fellow that looks like some sort of cat. Jahevo said he had helped in the past."

Victoria nodded. "Well, I'm going to follow the humans. You find this cat thing."

"Fine, but don't get caught," Eric said. "You're such a klutz sometimes."

Victoria smacked Eric on the back of the head and took off. Eric frowned at the woman and took off in the opposite direction.

**TBC**


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

A/N: Well, I've moved into residence at University, and I start on Monday, so I thought I would update! I hope I'll be more available, but with engineering, you never know. I hope you guys enjoy! Oh, and I plan to finish this story by Sunday. Eeeek!

Grissom and Sara stumbled through the forest, desperately trying to keep up with the White Rabbit.

"Hey, wait!" Sara yelled, trying desperately to catch up with the rabbit. "Grissom, come on!"

Grissom grunted, breathing heavily next to her.

The rabbit veered sharply off to the left and disappeared through a thicket of shrubs.

Grissom grabbed Sara's hand. "Wait, let's just stop for a second."

Sara nodded, raising her arms above her head while moving side to side.

"What are you doing?" asked Grissom, giving her a weird look.

"I'm trying to get my breathing back to normal," Sara said, shrugging. "Didn't they ever teach you that in gym class?"

Grissom shook his head, but followed her movements, ignoring the smirk that was forming on Sara's face.

"What should we do," Sara asked, dropping her arms to her side. "I'm getting tired of running around after this thing."

Grissom nodded. "Well, I think we should follow him. He probably knows his way around the place."

Sara nodded in agreement. Staring through the hedge where the rabbit had just run through, something popped into her mind. "Grissom, something is different about this time."

"What do you mean?" Grissom asked.

"Well, I don't know about you, but all of the other times that I've been in these...places, I've seen people that I knew."

"Well, you're standing with me right now," Grissom said, gesturing between them.

"No, I mean that people I knew were characters. Catherine, Nick...you. It's not the same this time," she said.

"Now that you mention it, that does make sense," Grissom said, thinking back on his experience with the dragon. "The brain often takes familiar images from past experience during sleep and can change them."

"A little imagination never hurt anyone, but this is ridiculous," Sara said, sighing loudly. "Anyways, I just realized that when we were back there with Tweedledum and Tweedledee, they weren't anyone familiar. They were just...them."

"That might explain something," Grissom suggested, gesturing around the forest. "I think the rules have changed now."

Sara shivered, Grissom's words sending a chill up her spine. "Whoever is making these rules isn't playing fair. I'm tired of chasing after this damn rabbit!"

Grissom put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sara. We'll get out of this place; I'll make sure of it."

Sara kissed him on the cheek. "I knew there was a reason I wanted to stick together." She smiled, her eyes shining with trust.

"Maybe I can help you," said a voice.

Sara jumped back, clutching Grissom's arm. "Who's there?"

Slowly, a mouth baring its teeth in a giant smile appeared above in a tree. Next, two large yellow eyes accompanied the mouth, along with a stripped pink and white body. A tail flipped behind the body slowly, the large yellow eyes examining the two CSI's.

"Oh god, not you," said Sara, taking a step towards the tree. "If I remember one thing about the Cheshire cat, it's that he screwed Alice over."

"Oh, now now. I'm here to help you on your way," said the cat eerily, its grin growing larger. "The Queen of Hearts is surely the one that can help you."

Sara snorted. "Look, we're not stupid. We know what the Queen of Hearts is like."

Grissom looked up at the cat. "Where can we find her?"

"Grissom, are you crazy?!" Sara hissed. "The Queen of Hearts is...well, she's not exactly the kindest person."

"Sara, you heard that scream," Grissom said. "It wasn't good. I think we should help Alice."

"Grissom, Alice is a fictional character! This is not a priority right now. We need to get out of here."

The Cheshire cat flicked his tail towards Sara. "The only way you may leave this place is to save Alice. She determines your future." Flicking his tail once more, he seemed to hover in the air.

"Wait, tell us who's behind this!" shouted Sara.

A sound came from in front of them. Slowly, a door formed from bark on the tree and opened.

"If you can find your way through the maze, you will find Alice, and the Queen of Hearts," said the cat eerily. "But make sure you hurry, or your fate will be sealed." The cat's body and tail slowly started to disappear, along with the large yellow eyes, and finally the grinning mouth faded into the darkness of the forest.

Frustrated, Sara exhaled loudly. "I'm starting to get sick and tired of this. No one will give us a straight answer."

Grissom grabbed her hand and led her towards the door. "Come on, let's go. He said we don't have much time."

Sara pulled back, frowning at him. "What? You actually trust that thing?"

Grissom shook his head. "No, but I think that if we don't find Alice, then something is definitely going wrong."

"It just doesn't feel right, Griss," Sara said, her eyes watering. "I need to get out of here. I can't stand this anymore."

"Honey, don't worry," Grissom said, pulling her into his arms. "I will make sure we get out of here."

Sara nodded, and pulled back from the embrace reluctantly. "I know. If you think we should go, then we should go."

Grissom cupped her cheeks, gently wiping the tears that had formed away. "Come on, I'll take you home."

Sara laughed and rolled her eyes. "Let's go, Romeo."

And with that, the two CSI's walked through the door.

TBC (immediately)


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: See Chapter 15.

A/N: I told you it was coming...the end is near!

The maze was very long. It felt to Sara as if they had been walking for hours.

Noises were echoing through the sky, and a trumpet blared in the distance.

"Did you hear that?" Sara asked, looking around. "I think we better move faster.

Grissom nodded, and picked up their walking pace to a slow jog.

Carefully, the CSI's navigated their way through the maze while observing their surroundings. The sky above them was bright blue, and birds were chirping loudly. It just seemed all too perfect.

Voices were becoming clearer as they moved through the maze. Suddenly, something large blasted above the maze. It was a head. The head of a young, blond girl.

"Your majesty indeed! Why you're not a queen!" said Alice. Her size started to shrink. "You're a fat, pompous, bad tempered tyrant!" Alice's head disappeared from view as she shrank to her normal size.

Grissom and Sara raced out of the maze to see Alice standing before the Queen.

The Queen laughed. "What did you say, my dear?"

The Cheshire cat appeared next to her and repeated Alice's words before disappearing again.

Sara poked Grissom's arm. "See? I told you that thing was no good," she whispered.

Grissom frowned. "Wait, something's going to happen now, right?"

Sara nodded. "The story says that the Queen orders for Alice's execution."

A loud cry came from the assembly. Alice was struggling to get away, and the Queen was visibly upset.

Grissom grabbed Sara's hand. "Come on, we have to help her!"

Sara nodded, and ran after Grissom. The two CSI's made their way through the crowd.

"Sara, I'm going to distract the Queen. You get Alice out of here," Grissom said. "Promise me you won't look back."

"But, what about you? I can't just leave you!" Sara shouted. "Grissom, no. It's too dangerous."

Grissom grabbed her and kissed her full on the mouth, and then released her. "Promise me," he said, his eyes gleaming in the sunshine.

Sara nodded, and Grissom ran off towards the Queen.

"Your majesty, I need to speak with you at once!" he said, walking up to the ridiculously dressed woman.

"And who are you? What gives you the right to speak to me, the Queen?" said the snobby woman. "Guards, execute this man, he's in the way."

Sara felt her stomach start to twist, but she ran towards Alice, who was being detained by the guards. As soon as they heard the Queen's voice, they turned towards her, giving a moment's distraction. Sara took advantage of their confusion to grab Alice's hand, and pulled her from the protective grasp she was in.

Alice screamed, but Sara was quick to cover her mouth and dragged her away from the mob that was forming. Sara pulled the girl towards the maze, releasing her hand from her mouth.

"Who are you?" Alice cried, tears running down her face.

Sara gave her a pained smile. "I'm here to help. You need to get out of here. Go back through the maze. You'll be home soon." Looking back towards the crowd, Sara stopped. "Go, I need to go back. My...friend is back there creating a distraction so we could get you out."

Alice shook her head. "No don't leave me, please!"

Sara sighed. "Ok, wait for us at the beginning of the maze. If you see us running, get out of here as soon as you can."

Alice nodded and turned, running off through the maze.

Sara looked back at the mob that was forming around the Queen. "I'm sorry Grissom, but I can't leave you."

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Eric and Victoria observed the uproar from atop the hedge maze.

"I think this has gone too far," Victoria said, nervously looking as Grissom was being attacked by the Queen's Guards. "I don't like this, Eric."

Eric laughed. "Are you kidding me Victoria? This is priceless. This is exactly what Jahevo wanted!"

Victoria sighed. "What are we supposed to do now? And where's the woman? Did she get away?"

Eric shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but Jahevo just wanted at least one of them captured. Our job here is done. I'm going home for a good night's rest."

Victoria nodded. "I can't stand being asleep for this long. I need my awake time. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Eric shrugged. "You will, if you want to keep your job." The Shipper vanished, leaving Victoria alone.

The young woman looked on as she saw Sara approach the mob. "Good luck human," she said, and vanished.

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"You, tell me your name," said the Queen. "Tell me this instant!"

Grissom struggled in the guard's grasp. "I told you my name: it's Gil Grissom."

The Queen laughed. "Don't be ridiculous there's no one here named that. And I, as wonderful as I am, know everything. So tell me your real name, or I will cut off your head!"

Grissom sighed. "Look, let me explain. I just-"

"Silence!" screamed the Queen. "I didn't say you could speak." The woman looked at her guards, eyeing them suspiciously. "Which one of you let this man in here?"

The guards were silent, looking at one another blankly. One brave guard replied "No one, your majesty."

The Queen gasped. "You dare call me a liar?! Execute him!"

"Lady, no one is getting executed again today!" came a voice from behind Grissom. Sara stepped through the mess of people and stood behind Grissom. "If you know what's best for you, you'll stop with this idiotic nonsense!"

The Queen looked speechless, appalled that someone would speak to her like that.

Grissom felt his heart jump. "Sara, I told you not to come back for me."

Sara walked up to him, taking his hands in hers. "We're in this together. I just can't walk away from you again."

The Queen's husband, a small man sitting quietly beside her, spoke up. "What is your name?"

Sara nodded to the man. "I'm Sara. Sara Sidle." She nodded towards Grissom. "This man here is very special to me, and I can't allow you to take him from me."

The man nodded slowly. "You will have one minute to get away from here, and then my wife will send her men after you."

The Queen snarled at her husband. "This is my court, how dare you-"

The king gestured towards them. "Your time starts now."

Sara and Grissom looked at the man for a second, noticing the small smile on his face. Without further hesitation, they ran off towards the maze, not bothering to look back.

"Guards, after them!" screamed the Queen, furious with her husband. "Jahevo, how dare you undermine my authority!"

The man simply laughed and walked away from his wife. His plan had come together nicely. Grey's Anatomy would have no chance now...

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"Come on, we have to get away from here," Sara said, pulling Grissom through the maze. "Alice? Alice, can you hear me?!"

The girl appeared at the entrance to the maze. "I'm here. I waited just like you said!"

Sara nodded. "We have to go; the Queen's guards are after us! Go now!"

The girl nodded and ran ahead of the two CSI's.

Grissom heard the distinct sound of footsteps coming after them. "Sara, we need to move faster. Are you ready to run?"

Sara nodded, following Alice, with Grissom close behind.

Something hit the ground behind Sara. The guards were throwing something, but she wasn't going to stop to check what. Catching up to Alice, she grabbed the girl's hand, urging her to go faster.

The three reached the door to the White Rabbit's house and ran towards the doorknob leading out of Wonderland. It was locked.

"Damnit, let us out!" Sara yelled, pounding on the door.

Alice looked through the window in the door. "I see me! I see me! Wake up!" She pounded loudly on the door with Sara. Suddenly, she dropped to the floor."

Grissom was at her side immediately. "Alice, what's wrong?" But the girl didn't respond.

"Grissom look at this!" Sara yelled, motioning through the window. Grissom stood up and ran over to where she was standing.

Alice was outside alright, and she was standing up. There was another girl beside her, and Alice was rubbing her head. The two walked away, oblivious to what was happening.

"Alice! Alice!" Sara yelled, pounding on the door. "Damnit!"

Grissom looked back at where the girl had passed out, but her body was gone.

Footsteps came to a stop by the door to the White Rabbit's house.

"You in there! Open the door, we are the Queen's guards!" said one of the men, pounding on the door. The rest of the guards soon followed, and the door started to splinter.

Sara hugged Grissom, sobbing into his chest. Grissom squeezed her tightly, and closed his eyes.

Suddenly both CSI's started to feel very dizzy. Sara's sobs quieted, and the two slumped to the floor. The door broke down, and the guards flooded the room.

The last thing both of them heard was a loud beeping...

TBC...


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: See Chapter 15.

A/N: So, I said it would be done two weeks ago...and it would have if I had rethought my major in University. Anyways, this is the last chapter. Thank you for everyone that has stuck with this story. The journey has been truly amazing, and I never thought I would spend two years on a piece of fanfiction. There's a sequel waiting out there...thanks again! Oh, and please review!

There was a beeping. A loud, annoying beeping and it wasn't going away. Grissom groaned, his eyelids refusing to open. His body felt like a sack of potatoes, and he was drenched in sweat. Gross.

The beeping continued, and finally Grissom had had enough. He cracked open his eyes, and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. His other hand flopped onto the night table beside him and silenced the alarm. His eyes looked at the time. The clock blinked five o'clock.

Sitting up quickly, he cursed as he got out of bed. He was stopped when a rush of dizziness suddenly came over him. Slowly, he sat down on his bed, holding a hand to his head.

To say he was confused was an understatement. Freaked out was more suitable. Grissom tried to remember the dreams he had just experienced, but reality was closing in on him. The one thing he did remember was Sara.

Sara! Cursing, he stood up quickly and walked to the shower. He was going to be late.

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Sara's eyes snapped open. Her alarm clock was going off very loudly, somehow finding its way to a country station. Slamming her hand onto the clock, it quieted immediately.

She felt like shit. Her body was stuck to the bed sheets with sweat, and her comforter was twisted into a mess around her legs. Her head was pounding, and she felt slightly dizzy. Looking around her, she felt relieved.

Relieved to be in the real world. Sara wasn't sure what she had just encountered, but the dreams were still vivid in her head. Her, Grissom, Alice...Grissom.

Grissom, the man who had stolen her heart years ago had managed to make his way back into her dreams. Sighing, Sara smiled softly, the events of the morning slowly coming back to her.

Her eyes glanced at the clock, panicking when she realized it was already five. Throwing the covers off of her, she bolted to the shower.

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Grissom pulled up to Sara's apartment at six o'clock on the dot. Getting out of his vehicle, he slowly walked to the door. Frowning, he looked at the list of numbers. He hadn't been able to visit her in her new apartment.

A small old woman, her hands full of groceries, ambled up to the door. Grissom smiled, noticing her load. "Can I help you with those?"

The woman eyed Grissom from behind her glasses. "Are you looking for someone, young man?"

Grissom nodded, feeling very embarrassed. "I am. Do you know Sara Sidle?"

The old woman's demeanour lightened immediately. "Of course I do! Sara's such a lovely girl. We're neighbours, and she always seems to stay in her apartment. No loud music though. I don't have one complaint about her. Lovely."

Grissom smirked. "Well, I'm supposed to be her to collect her at six, and I'm running a bit late."

"Oh, well why don't I show you the way!" The old woman searched for her keys, her bags dangling dangerously from her hands.

Grissom took the bags gently, freeing up the woman's hands. "Let me get these for you."

The woman chuckled. "Young man, you wouldn't happen to be a gentleman caller would you?"

Grissom cleared his throat, following the lady up the stairs.

When they reached the third floor, the woman led Grissom down the hall. She stopped outside of a door, opening it with her key. "Thank you, I'll be able to manage from here. Sara lives just to the left of me."

Grissom set the bags down next to the door and nodded at the woman. He turned swiftly and took a few long strides to Sara's door. It was time.

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Sara heard voices outside in the hall. She was hastily pulling on some shoes when she had heard her name mentioned.

Going to the door, she moved to open the door, but stopped herself. She was being paranoid.

Checking her makeup in the mirror, she was slightly surprised. She looked excited for the first time in her life.

Shaking her head and smirking, she took her coat from the closet. Slipping it on, she grabbed her keys and purse and opened the door. She gasped as she almost ran into Grissom.

Grissom grabbed her hand, steadying her. "Good evening Sara. You look...very nice."

Sara blushed, nodding her head. "Thanks, you look nice too."

Both of them stood in the doorway, staring at each other. Sara was the first one to break the silence.

"You know, I had the weirdest dream..."

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Grissom and Sara walked out of the doors of the restaurant. Grissom squeezed Sara's hand, and Sara giggled.

"I can't believe this," Sara said, laughing. "There is no way you were in Wonderland too. That's impossible! Dreams can't be connected."

Grissom shook his head. "You keep saying that, but I'm telling you. I was there, and you were, and...well..."

Sara smirked. "And well what?"

"And, we had a good time together," Grissom said, looking Sara in the eye. "Besides running from a crazed army of cards."

Sara nodded. "I don't know. It still seems crazy. Whatever, I'm enjoying the present right now," she said, smiling at Grissom.

Grissom smirked, leading the way to his vehicle. He escorted Sara to her door, and then walked around to the other side. Buckling his seat belt, he looked at her, his eyes shining.

They stared at each other, seeming to gravitate towards one another. They were so close, and Sara thought she was going to pass out, when Grissom stopped.

"Sara, I want you to know something."

Sara sighed, reaching her hand up to his neck. "Grissom, this is no time for talking." She looked into his eyes, dizzy with excitement.

It felt like he held her gaze forever, and when he did lose it, his eyes dropped to her lips for a quick second before closing the gap finally.

Sara felt her stomach slam into her heart. She moaned softly, sliding her fingernails through his hair.

Grissom groaned, stroking Sara's cheek with his fingers. He almost had a heart attack when she opened her mouth, deepening the kiss.

Somehow, they managed to twist themselves into a position where Sara was half on top of Grissom. She leaned over to get closer to him, and accidentally beeped the horn.

They jumped, bumping heads. Sara laughed at the awkwardness, and kissed his forehead. A large smile had planted itself on Grissom's face, and he laughed with her.

"Grissom, what did you want to tell me?" Sara asked, threading her fingers with his.

Grissom stared at her, emotions flooding through him. "I just wanted to tell you that I...well, I think I..." His voice caught in his throat.

"It's ok, you can tell me," Sara said, looking into his eyes.

Grissom took a deep breath. "I think I love you Sara."

Stunned, Sara just looked at him. Tears slowly made their way into her eyes. "What?"

More confident, Grissom took her face in both of his hands. "I love you Sara," he said, wiping her tears from her eyes.

Sara smiled, her eyes glittering with tears. "I love you too," she said. Leaning forward, she kissed him again.

Breaking the kiss, Grissom leaned his forehead against Sara's. "Should we move this to another location?"

Sara smiled. "My place or yours?"

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Sara led Grissom up her stairs, both of them stumbling. Walking down the hall, Grissom heard the sound of someone screaming "I WANT TO CAST A SPELL...I CAST FLARE!!!!!"

Sara chuckled. "Mrs. Hunter's grandson likes to watch something called 'Unforgotten Realms'. He gets excited sometimes."

Grissom looked very confused, but followed Sara to her door and into her apartment.

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Sara opened her eyes. She smiled as she saw Grissom lying next to her, his breath fluttering her hair. He seemed...serene.

Sensing her stare, Grissom opened his eyes. "Hey."

"Good morning Gil," Sara said. "What were you dreaming about?"

Grissom smiled. "I was dreaming of you. You were sitting on my bed, and you looked at me, and it was perfect."

Sara smirked. "It sounds like a fairy tale."

Grissom nodded. "Do you believe in Happily Ever After Sara?

Sara nodded, kissing him. "I do now."

Meanwhile...

Down the hall, Jahevo, Eric and Victoria were sitting in a circle on the floor. Jahevo nodded to his cohorts, and the three of them sunk into their sleeping bags. As their dreams took over, smiles settled on their faces. Their jobs were done.

THE END


End file.
